Titans Forever
by Fallen White Roses
Summary: Sequel to Yin and Yang. Trigon may be gone, but Slade isn't. Tamaran declares war on Azarath and something unexpected happens to a team member or two . The team is slowly falling apart, but can anyone save it? Lots of plot twists. Now complete! :
1. In the Aftermath

**Titans Forever**

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or any of the beginning quotes in future chapters.

A/N: Just so you don't get the wrong idea…I hate Terra. I wish she would go jump off a cliff. **This is the sequel to Yin and Yang. I suggest you read it first or you won't have a clue.**

**Prologue**

_"Congratulations, Terra—you are now officially a Teen Titan!" Robin handed her a shiny new yellow communicator. "Happy sixteenth birthday!" The sun beamed down happily on the Titans as everyone in the park cheered and hats were tossed into the blue sea that was the sky._

_Terra took the communicator, savoring the feel of its slightly warm round exterior on her hand. She took in a deep breath of the first day of May air and smiled at the other Titans, whom were all standing on the green grass and clapping, along with everyone else who was picnicking in the park that day. She glanced at Raven. She was standing and had brought her hand together once and had the slightest smile on. Terra grinned. It was a start. "Thanks, guys. I'll try my best to be a Teen Titan and I _will_ be loyal." The joy welled up in her, about to explode any moment._

_Starfire giggled happily, her eyes twinkling. "Let us now feast!"_

_Cyborg flipped out five sizzling hamburgers and one tofu burger from the grill, handing one to each Titan. The savory smell rose into the air sluggishly. "Food! Come and get it, y'all!"_

"Happy birthday, Terra, and congrats on joining the team," Beastboy grinned at her. She smiled faintly back. Yes, she was happy, but in a way, she was sad, because Beastboy didn't like her back. He hadn't told her directly, but the way he tagged along after Raven 24/7 and was always nervous around Rae made her certain where his love lay.

Speaking of Raven, she was talking with that pink haired weirdo Terra had yet to know the name of. She walked over to the two, her blonde hair flying in the breeze. They suddenly stopped talking as she approached, making the blue-eyed girl think they were talking about her. She took a deep breath of the flower-scented air.

"Congratulations, Terra," Raven said in her monotone voice. Her gray lips barely moved. She didn't sound too happy. Terra remembered her saying those same words more than a year ago, with actual joy in her voice and eyes. Right now, she was just saying the words to be polite.

"Thanks, Raven." Terra turned away from her cold glare and looked at the other girl. Her baby pink hair was gathered in two blackish-purple bands and she wore a similarly colored dress. She had pink eyes (Why do people with superpowers always have matching eyes? Terra wondered, thinking of Beastboy, Raven, and Starfire) and what seemed to be a permanent blush. "Hey, what's your name? My name is—"

"I know what your name is, Terry," Jinx smiled, a smirk dancing around her lips. "I'm Jinx. It's bad luck to be around me, so you better leave," She showed her pearly whites and held up her right hand, which was softly glowing with hot pink energy.

Terra blinked. Terry?

Meanwhile, Cyborg, Beastboy, Starfire, Robin, and a number of eager volunteers were plotting under the shade of a massive oak tree.

"So," Robin said loudly, making everyone shut up at once. "We gather here today, us faithful citizens of Jump City, to discuss a sacred topic that we all—"

"Oh, just get on with it," Beastboy groaned, but his face was joyful.

"We're here to decide Terra's initiation!" Robin finished, and a cheer broke out. The volunteers, who were mostly teens, immediately started shouting.

"Make her run naked through Jump City!"

"She should have to dress up as Beastboy for a day!"

"Force her to hang her own bra on a flag pole!"

"I think she should have to kiss every boy in Jump City on the lips!"

"YEA!"

The guys and Star grinned at each other. This was going to be fun.

**Chapter 1: In the Aftermath**

I only listen to the sad, sad songs

I'm only happy when it rains

I only smile in the dark

My only comfort is the night gone black

I didn't accidentally? tell you that

I'm only happy when it rains

**I'm Only Happy When it Rains, Garbage**

Raven closed her purple eyes. She reopened them and gazed around her room.

What was happening to her?

Ever since the Titans had defeated Trigon for a third time, her powers had been acting bizarre. She wasn't losing control—no, she hadn't made anything explode since she decided to stay with the Titans. It was a different kind of bizarre: the colors of her powers had changed. When she was angry and had to use her powers for something, her powers came out a harsh red, a burning red that would make others feel full of rage just looking at it. When she felt peaceful—happy, she could even say, her powers would come out pink. The Titans hadn't had a battle since Trigon in Africa, so they didn't notice. It was an odd little thing that harmed no one, but it still disturbed the empath.

Then there was Trigon—was he really gone? Jinx was sure of it, and so were the other Titans. Raven couldn't feel his evil hatred burning inside her anymore, but she still wasn't sure.

Maybe this is how Robin felt when he thought Slade was truly gone, Raven pondered. Thought. When he thought. Slade came back. So can Trigon come back?

Raven uneasily uncrossed her legs and landing on the floor. Slade. No one knew where he was or what he was planning. He might be dead, and he might be alive. Raven really didn't care, as long as he didn't attack anyone. She floated over to her mirror on the wall and gazed at it. The other Titans didn't know, but all her cloaks had turned white. Raven had dyed them back blue because she liked blue better, but there was still the unnerving fact that her powers had turned them white in the first place. Was it because she was cleansed of Trigon's evil? The empath desperately wished for another meditation mirror so she could think properly.

Beastboy. Another troublesome topic. He had told her he liked her, and she was pretty sure she liked him back, but neither had made a move. Why? Was it because of Terra or was Beastboy just lying? Raven sighed. Her pale hand reached out to touch a tarnished silver drawer handle, in the shape of a raven. The cold metal made her skin prickle as the light blue energy of her new emotion, Confusion, engulfed the drawer, unlocking it with her powers. She slowly and carefully pulled the dark mahogany wood drawer out. The interior was musty and bare, with only three items. One was The Book of Azar, her most treasured book, with wrinkled yellow pages that were thumbed through over a million times. Another was her diary, a plain, blue covered book with a blue ribbon attached to the spine to hold her place. A plain black ink pen was attached to the ribbon. The last item was recently added: a small, dark blue velvet box. Raven's delicate hands lifted it and she ran a slim finger on its smooth surface for a moment. She then opened it circumspectly, revealing the necklace inside. The necklace had a thin silver chain, as light as air. In the middle was a circular locket with polished silver, dazzling and beautiful, immaculate in the box like the moon lighting up the night sky. On top of the front locket piece was a jewel: a shining sapphire. It had a rich blue color so deep that even the sea's depth couldn't surpass it. It cast out dancing reflections on the walls and ceiling of Raven's dark room. She opened the locket up and gazed at the picture of her and Beastboy. The empath lifted the necklace out of the box. She had never worn it before. She had been too afraid, afraid it would be destroyed in a battle or her emotions would go haywire and explode it. But now she felt she could risk it. Raven lifted the necklace up, fastening it around her neck and then carefully tucking it in under the folds of her cloak.

Suddenly, her room filled with bright red light that flashed on and off. A piercing siren slammed into her ear, screaming and shouting. Raven flipped open her communicator quickly. Robin's face flashed on and said, "Cardiac. Elementary school that's being used as a summer camp on Pease Road."

Raven flew out of her room, right behind the others. She followed them out the door and toward the elementary school. Cardiac was already there, its large metal arms flailing in the sky. Outside, the kids were outside and were screaming and hiding wherever they could, or running away at top speed.

"TITANS, GO!" Robin shouted, and leapt on Cardiac, bringing out his bo-staff. Cyborg fired with his cannon and Starfire with her starbolts. Terra pelted rocks at him. Beastboy paused in his assault and turned away to glance at Raven, who was hovering uncertainly in midair. He gave her a reassuring smile, his little fang sticking up.

"Don't worry, Rae, there's no little girl this time," He said, grinning. He did a back flip, turning into a leopard mid flip and charging at Cardiac.

Raven frowned on the outside, but on the inside, her heart skipped a beat at the site of the cute little fang she loved so much, though she'd rather die than admit it. She shrugged the feeling off and aimed a single hand at Cardiac and said evenly, "Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos!" A tie-die mix of the gray of Timid, red of Love, and a sliver of the harsher red of Rage shot out, full and strong. It hit Cardiac right in the center and Cardiac exploded, chunks of red and metal flying everywhere.

The Titans gaped at her.

Robin seemed to compose himself first. "U-um…good job, Raven," He said, blinking. "I never knew your powers could be…rainbow."

"Neither did I," Raven stated darkly, dropping to the concrete street. It was true; she only thought her powers could come out in one color. The clouds above opened up and rain gushed down, as if a bucket had suddenly been dumped over the sun on Jump City. Raven made a hood over herself with her powers. The hood was the light green of Nervous—she didn't know how the other Titans would react. Another thing was making her nervous—her feelings. Suddenly, her emotions had seemed sharper, as if whittled with a knife. She could feel them a lot easier and could read them as clearly as she would a book. It was a hard feeling to explain.

"Friend Raven, why do your powers have colors?" Starfire prodded the hood that Raven had just made. Raven extended it larger so the others could huddle under it to escape the rain.

"I don't know," Raven made a small fist of energy, glowing light blue with a touch of light green. She sighed and opened her fist, letting the power dissolve.

Starfire furrowed her queer little eyebrows in thought. "Why do the colors change each time?"

"Has this ever happened before?" Robin asked, observing the twisting colors on the hood. Light blue slowly took it over.

"No," She said quietly, straining to keep the emotion from her voice. She was lying; it had happened in Azarath all the time, when she hadn't been trained yet.

"Probably has something to do with Trigon," Cyborg commented. He didn't look too concerned. "Anyway, long as it doesn't affect anything, it should be fine. Let's head back to the Tower so we can get out of this rain before I rust or something."

Back in the tower, Raven sat alone again in her room. So, she mused, when I'm feeling two emotions at the same time, my powers can have two colors or more. Interesting. In Azarath, the same thing occurred.

"Rae?" Raven heard Beastboy's voice from outside her door as he rapped his knuckles against it.

"What?" Raven called back, standing up. She walked over to the door, her footsteps echoing softly behind her. She opened it a crack, just enough to see Beastboy's confused green face.

He held up a white cloak. "It's my turn to do the laundry, and dude, I swear I didn't do anything, but all your cloaks suddenly just turned white." He blinked, running a hand through his hair nervously. Beastboy hoped that she wouldn't congest him in flames.

Raven paused and opened the door wider. She eyed the white cloak, remembering the ones that she had dyed blue. "Whatever. Just—don't tell the others."

"Why not?" Beastboy raised an eyebrow. "Not that I'm going to," he added hastily.

"Because…" Raven let the word drag out. Why shouldn't Beastboy tell the others? I don't want to get their hopes up when they hear Trigon might be gone, Raven reasoned. He might not be gone and still lurking. Plus, they might start expecting me to join them when they play volleyball or something once they learn Trigon's evil is completely gone. Not that I know it is. "Because I don't want them to know."

Great reason, Rae, Beastboy thought, but aloud he said, "Whatever then. Are you going to dye them back?"

Raven's eyes glowed a medley of colors and the cloak he was holding turned blue.

Beastboy sweat dropped. "Um, okay then…" He checked that no one was listening, and then leaned in closer. "Look…what were you hiding? You know why your powers are different colors now. Why won't you tell the others?"

Raven looked at the wall behind him, ignoring Beastboy's curious eyes. His breath blew gently across her neck and Raven stepped back. "There is nothing to tell." She could feel Love fluttering around inside her mind, begging her to be friendly.

Beastboy started to say something, but then closed his mouth and let it go. Robin had once told him that as long as Raven was their friend, what they didn't know about her didn't matter. He decided to respect her privacy and handed her the cloak, giving his teammate one last dubious look. "Well, see you later!" The changeling dashed off.

Raven rubbed the cloak's smooth surface thoughtfully. Why had she stepped back? Why hadn't she told him? She sighed and closed the door. Her knees felt weak and her heart was beating especially fast and no matter how hard Raven tried to shrug off the feeling, it lingered on. She was creepy and daughter of the devil—she didn't deserve Beastboy.

* * *

Terra put down the book she was currently reading. Somehow, the adventures of Artemis Fowl just didn't seem to interest her. She leaned back onto her bed and gazed at the yellow ceiling of her newly redecorated room. The blonde touched her lips, trying to bring back the feeling of Beastboy's pressed against hers. She heaved a light sigh. It was no use. Beastboy didn't like her any more, no matter how hard she tried to deny it.

She stood up quickly, deciding to distract herself from such thoughts by doing something with the other Titans. Terra bounded out of the room and paused in the bleak, austere hallway. Who to be with? She knew Beastboy was doing laundry and she didn't dare risk to join him for fear of the smell. Further down the hallway, heavy, pounding music could be heard from Robin's room. Nope, definitely not joining him. Starfire…

The youngest Titan walked to the room next to hers and rapped on the door. "Star?"

"Yes, friend Terra?" Starfire flew out of the room, twirling in the air. She smiled her usual bubbly smile.

"Want to go to the mall or something?" Terra asked.

Starfire's smile disappeared. "Oh, I wish to, but I cannot. There is something I must finish doing by tonight, and I am afraid I cannot tell you what it is until later," She confessed. The Tamaranian put on an apologetic smile. "I am sorry, Terra."

Terra shrugged and put on a smile of her own. "It's okay, Star. See you later!" Terra walked away, getting on the elevator to the floor level. She wondered what Starfire's little secret was, but wasn't too curious. After all, she was going to tell her later, so why bother wondering?

The blonde stepped outside, breathing in the fresh air, still damp from the previous rain. She gazed up at the sky, with the sun sliding down it slowly. The city looked as if it had been washed over with red and yellow as Terra approached her favorite spot on the rocks. She spotted Beastboy already there, tracing patterns on the rocks with a twig.

"Hey, BB!" Terra bounced forward happily, glad to have company. "What's up?" She sat down next to him, letting her legs dangle over the salty water.

"Just finished doing the laundry," He said, doing a face. "Had to take a shower. I smelled like shit." Beastboy pointed to his wet hair and grinned.

Terra laughed softly and let the tip of her boots skim the water. "So, what's Cyborg doing?"

"The tin man's probably polishing his T-Car with something weird, like turtle wax," Beastboy replied. He dropped the twig into the water, watching it float away slowly. "Turtle wax! Not only does he eat meat, he uses it to wax his car, too."

Terra laughed again and jumped as a fish flew out of the water and snatched the twig, carrying it under to the unknown down below the surface. They both watched as the water swirled and then returned to its normal state, with gentle waves rolling delicately against the rocks.

Beastboy leaned back, staring at the fiery sky. He admired the colors tossed into the sky, as if Jackson Pollock had splashed his paints upwards and they had stayed, strewn across the air. The reds mixed slowly into the yellows, combining to make a whirl of orange. The only times the sunset looked like this was in August, and Beastboy remembered the hot August day that his parents had gone out boating to look at the same sunset, years ago. That was the day that they died on that boating trip. He sighed and stood up. "I'm going inside. It's way too hot out here."

Terra stood up, also, and trailed him into the Tower, just as a light drizzle started again. The dried out grasses and trees welcomed the rain gladly. The two went up to the kitchen, where Starfire was waiting for them. She hugged both, one at a time, in her bone-crushing hugs.

"Friends!" She welcomed them gladly, smiling gleefully. "I have finally finished a project I have been working on for quite some time and I would wish to show it to everyone! Robin, Raven, and Cyborg are already waiting!" Star grabbed their hands and started dragging them to the common room, where Robin was sitting on the couch with Cyborg. Raven was leaning on the side of the couch, hood up.

"Hey, grass stain and Terra," Cyborg greeted them. "Guess what, I found the remote!" He held up a battered black remote control triumphantly. "It was in the fridge, where all the moldy stuff is in the back."

Terra gagged.

"May I now present my surprise?" Starfire said excitedly. Her green eyes were lit up brightly.

"Go ahead," Robin said, leaning forward. Star's face reflected in his mask.

"Friends, though you may not have realized," Starfire began, smiling, "today is our three year anniversary as Teen Titans! It has been a good three years, ever since friend Raven has brought us together, and through all this time, we have remained friends and have not drifted apart like in the future I witnessed with Warp. Beastboy has not grown fat and bald, Cyborg has not worn down, Raven has not gone insane, and Robin has not turned into Nightwing. I have not disappeared, either. Terra has joined out team. We have had many, many arguments, but we are still a team and friends. Ever since our first day as Teen Titans, I have been keeping the book of scraps with pictures, and today I have run out of pages. So now I present to you the Teen Titans Scrapbook!" Starfire pulled out behind her back a huge book with a ruby red velvet binding, with the words Teen Titans Scrapbook written across the cover in gold. She beamed at their shocked and pleased looks. "I asked friend—or ex-villain—Jinx for help with the binding, and she has brought it to a binder of books called Mo." She smiled merrily. "Would you like to look through it?"

"Definitely, Star!" Robin exclaimed, springing up. He took the book carefully from her hands and placed it on the couch and the others gathered around him. He opened to the first page, which had some words across the top in Starfire's neat handwriting:

Today, I have joined a team: the Teen Titans! It is quite exciting and I wish to keep a book of scraps, which Robin, the leader, has described to me. Under here is a picture of all of us.

There was a picture of the five original Titans walking into the new Titans Tower. Robin was in the lead, gazing at the rows of seats in the front hallway in awe. Starfire floated behind him, smiling and looking pleased. Then there was Beastboy and Cyborg, who were wide-eyed as they took in the rich red carpet and huge walls. Raven floated behind, her hood off. Her face was emotionless.

"Dude, I'm so short!" Beastboy peered at the picture. "Shorter than Raven!"

"You've been shorter than me for two and a half years," Raven said in her monotonous voice. Her eyes flitted across the page curiously. "Who took this picture?"

"Oh," Starfire blushed. "I hope you do not mind, but I took some pictures from the cameras of security. Robin taught me how to take shots of screen from videos, and I have used them."

"Clever," Raven muttered. Her eyes strayed to under the picture.

From left to right, these are the members: Robin, me (Starfire, Raven has donned me), Cyborg, Beastboy, and Raven. We have voted Robin our leader because Raven, who brought us together, does not wish to lead. Robin is quite knowledgeable and is very good at what Beastboy tells me is 'kung-fu'. I do not know why anyone would wish to kung a fu, but Earthlings think it is a very impressive trait.

Below was a picture of Robin with his bo-staff out.

Cyborg reached out and turned the page. "Dude, this is like…ancient history!" He read the words on the page.

Here am I, discovering the joys of television. This is Cyborg, making something that Robin calls a 'car'. It looks like a pile of metal so far, but I am sure it will look beautiful later on. This is Beastboy in mid-morph. His abilities are quite astounding. This is Raven, drinking her tea. She would not let me see her room today, but I do not mind.

A series of pictures followed this.

The Titans flipped through the scrapbook curiously. The scrapbook went through every single event in their lives as Teen Titans: there was every birthday, villain, and new friend they had encountered, from the day they formed the team and up to Raven's last adventure with Trigon. There were pictures from when Cyborg quit the Titans and when Terra joined, and pictures from when Robin became Slade's apprentice and Starfire nearly got married. There was even a picture of the green dog from outer space that they had thought was Beastboy. There were pictures of Aqualad, Bumblebee, Jinx, Speedy, Mammoth, Gizmo, Thunder, Lightning, Mad Mod, and Adonis. There was even a shady picture of Slade, his menacing face peering out from the picture at them.

"This is awesome, Star!" Beastboy exclaimed, looking at a picture from when Cyborg and Beastboy had just come out of Raven's room, after battling Trigon in her mind. "It's like a history textbook, except not boring!"

Starfire beamed. "I am glad you enjoy it, though I am not sure what this book of text is."

"Yeah, it's really cool," Cyborg stared at a picture of him and Beastboy playing STANKBALL with Raven as referee. He flipped to the back.

"Are you going to start another one, Star?" Robin asked, looking at a picture of Happy and Starfire hugging.

"I was hoping that we could perhaps all work on a new one together?" Starfire suggested, looking around at them hopefully.

"Sounds like a great idea," Robin replied. He glanced at the others. "You guys in?"

"Definitely," Terra grinned and ran her finger over a picture of her beating Cyborg at a new obstacle course. "I'm in."

The others nodded, save Raven.

Robin glanced at his teammate. "Raven?"

Raven stared at a picture of her reading a book. "Whatever. Okay."

"Oh, and," Robin said, "tomorrow's training day. We should get some rest."

"Dude, it's only nine thirty!" Beastboy whined, pointing at his watch. "You sound just like those TV moms!"

Robin ignored him and glanced at Terra. This would be her first full day training. "Terra…do you still have trouble controlling your powers?"

Terra shrugged. "Not really. Not after…. Well, anyway, I don't think I have trouble anymore. I hope I don't, anyway."

Raven said coldly, "No one ever has complete control of their powers. Starfire doesn't, I don't, and Beastboy doesn't. You are no exception." Her voice was threaded with ice, cutting through the relaxed atmosphere like a sharpened blade.

Terra felt the heat rush to her cheeks. Raven had no right to assume things about her! Her anger rose as she retaliated, "Starfire and Beastboy have complete control over the powers! Only you don't!"

Raven's eyes glowed red. "You know nothing. When Starfire is extremely happy, she starts to fly, even if she doesn't want to. When she is angry, starbolts form at her fists. Beastboy can only morph once a minute and when he's angry—very angry—he turns into a Man-Beast. That only happened four times before."

"Yeah, well," Terra sputtered, "at least Beastboy can control his powers better than you! Anyone could get you angry, but no one can morph Beastboy!"

"Like you, for instance?" Raven's eyes glowed brighter. The others watched, afraid to interrupt. "Isn't that how you nearly drowned me? What a kind, considerate Titan you are." Her eyes turned purple, and then back red. The red energy enveloped Beastboy and Raven morphed him into a raven.

"Kek-kek-kek," Beastboy hopped around the room for a while before he could morph back. "DUDE, you morphed me again!"

The newest Titan blinked, astonished. She couldn't find any way to reply to that.

"And how did you know I can only morph once per minute?" Beastboy watched her facial expression, fascinated. It was completely blank, except for her glowing eyes, which softened back to their normal state.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out," Raven said frigidly.

Beastboy raised an eyebrow, inviting her to go on.

Raven sighed exasperatedly. "Remember when your butt was smashed into my back when Red X fought us?"

Gar nodded slowly, a light blush staining his face. Terra's face twitched with condescension.

"You could only morph back once the X binding us was cut, which was after a minute."

"How do you notice things like that?" Beastboy asked in awe. Without waiting for an answer, he dragged out a board labeled with Robin theories. "But speaking of X…I think I know who Red X is!"

They all sweat dropped.

"JASON TODD!" He announced, gesturing at a cartoon picture of him with a flourish. A scribbled picture of the late Jason Todd in his Robin uniform was displayed in full color.

"Jason Todd got killed by the Joker, Beastboy," Robin said flatly, not amused.

Beastboy scratched his head. "Um…Tim Drake? He's cool, except he's like, two feet tall."

"Beastboy…

"I know…BRUCE WAYNE!!!!!"

"Shut…"

"Oh! I KNOW! It's your ex-girlfriend, Barbara something-or-other—"

"…UP!"

"ALRED PENNYWORTH!"

"AH!"

"You have had a girlfriend before?" Starfire asked, confused and a tad jealous.

Robin buried his head in his arms and groaned. How did BB know about his ex, anyway?

* * *

"Right, who wants to go first?" Robin asked. The sun glared at them high up in the sky, shooting down harsh rays of red orange light. Sweat gathered on the back of his neck where he stood behind the control panel.

Below him, the Titans all looked similarly overheated. Terra had reverted to wearing a white tank top instead of her usual black top, and even Raven had done something to keep off the heat—she had taken off her cloak. They all stood, unenthusiastic, on the crumbling dirt of Titans Island.

"Don't all volunteer at once," Their leader said wearily, wiping sweat off his forehead. It was unusually hot, needless to say.

"I am sorry, Robin, but I simply am too hot," Starfire fanned herself with her hands and flew up indolently to join Robin at the control panel. "Perhaps I shall assist you instead?"

Robin nodded, glad of Starfire's company. He swallowed, trying to moisten his parched mouth. "Raven, why don't you go first? You've never gone first before."

Raven glared at him. "I'm honored."

"Countdown initiated," Starfire sang out, glad not to be Raven.

Raven walked up to the start of the obstacle course, rolling up the sleeves of her leotard slightly. How she longed to be inside the cool, air-conditioned Tower, reading a book and drinking tea.

"Three…two…one!"

The empath held out her right hand and it glowed yellow. A swirling portal opened in front of her and she simply stepped in, emerging on the other side of the course. "Wow. A new course record—one second." Raven deadpanned.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Cyborg objected. "That was cheating!"

"Technically, it wasn't," Robin admitted, leaning on the side of the control panel and then jumping back as its burning metal surface stung him. "She was using her powers and she could've done that in a real fight. But Raven, that was sort of cheap. Can you do it again—properly?"

Raven narrowed her violet eyes at him and flew back to the beginning. As the countdown was restarted, she staggered back as queasiness slammed into her head, as if someone had whacked her with a heavy object. The last thing she saw was the red sun swirling before her eyes before a vision overtook her.

Raven glanced around her, making sure no one was following. The sky was midnight black and the ground was rocky and uneven. She flew over it silently, her blue cloak billowing out behind her. The cold air stabbed her as she flew over bloody fields, death and destruction surrounding her. At last she reached a diminutive cave, insignificant and dinky. Inside, she saw a flash of white and orange--

The vision ended abruptly as Starfire's voice interrupted it. "Shall friend Raven be alright?"

Raven opened her eyes and found the other Titans peering down at her worriedly. She sat up slowly, rubbing the back of her head. Through her swimming eyes she could make out the white walls of the sanatorium. She took a breath of cool, clean air. "What…?"

"You just sort of collapsed," Beastboy peered down at her, his face lined with edges of concern. "The heat, probably."

"Oh, great, now I feel Harry Potter," Raven groaned. She would not meet Beastboy's eyes. She knew she had just seen the future, but what was happening? What was with the place she was in? What was the flash of white and orange? She tried to put away all her worries and put on her emotionless mask.

"Are you okay?" Beastboy handed her her cloak, which was dusted with dirt. He tried to make something out of her expression, but could find nothing.

"Fine," Raven murmured, suddenly embarrassed. She ducked her head and instead focused on her pale hands. "Just had a vision."

"A vision?" Robin repeated, interested. "What do you mean?"

"Is this the ESPN Cyborg and Terra speak of?" Starfire asked excitedly, bouncing up and down. She had her hair put up in a ponytail to keep it from sticking to her neck.

"ESP," Raven corrected. She could feel Beastboy's eyes on her face. "It was of…never mind," Raven's voice trailed off as she thought about the chilly air of her vision. "Wasn't important."

"But dude, what was it?" Cyborg pressed on, nagging her like a dog with a bone that he refuses to let go off.

But Raven refused to say anything, no matter how much the Titans pressed and pressed. She remained stoic to their pleads and stared at the white ceiling, wondering if this was training for the insane asylum.

Finally, the Titans gave up and left her alone. Their training was forgotten and the sun was left to burn unaccompanied outside.

* * *

I honestly did not like this as a beginning. Lack of detail, plot, drama, and angst is basically it (as compared to the first chapter of Yin and Yang, I mean). But, you know, whatever. I'll try to improve on the next chapters. BTW, this takes place a few days or a week or somewhere around that after Yin and Yang, when everyone is settled down.

Please review,

Lily )


	2. Shimmer

Disclaimer: Here's my extremely creative and inspiring disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.

**Chapter 2: Shimmer**

I can't find a good quote.

**Lily**

Beastboy gazed at his ceiling, just a few feet above him. He was laying on the bunk bed in his room, thinking. Amazing, isn't it?

Raven. Why wouldn't she tell the others about her visions or why her colors had different colors? She was hiding something; he knew it. He had known it ever since they had gone to Upper Lamumba. Terra was not the reason that she left the Titans. What was? Trigon?

Beastboy flipped over and jumped off the top bunk, landing in a crouch. His room still looked the same as ever, except with new furniture because his old furniture was destroyed when he turned into a Man-Beast. It was the same type and color furniture, though, so no creativity there. He looked out his window at the sun, which was slowly climbing to the top of its stoop on top of the world.

Maybe her powers changed colors according to her emotions, Beastboy mused. Maybe…maybe…

BB shook his head. No, he shouldn't think about things like that. Raven would never like him if he kept butting into her privacy. He exited his room to seek Cyborg to play the Teen Titans video game that EA Games had donated to them a couple of days ago.

Stepping out into the hallway, he started walking down to the common room. He stared at the floor while he walked, wondering why the hallway was so bare. No pictures on the walls, no odds and ends from the Titans' rooms, nothing. Not even a smelly odor or scuff marks from STANKBALL or muddy footprints. Maybe the secret janitor cleaned it up. Beastboy imagined the secret janitor as a fat, balding man who was extremely rich because he secretly cleaned Titans Tower. No, he had to be skinny and wear spandex, so that no one could hear him while he cleaned. Spandex! How Beastboy hated spandex. But it helped him in battles. But still, maybe something else could replace spandex, like—

Beastboy cried out as he walked right into a closed door, not paying attention as he was thinking about spandex and secret janitors. He cursed loudly.

"Clever," Raven's mordant voice came from nowhere.

BB whirled around and saw her standing right behind him. Apparently, she had just come out of her room and had been floating behind him and was just about to go around him when he walked into the door. He sweat dropped nervously. "Heh…was thinking about…" He blushed. He certainly wasn't going to say secret janitors and spandex. "Stupid things. Never mind." He reached out to the secret spot to the right of the door that opened at his touch, though not without scanning his eyes for the correct DNA first. BB punched in the code: 844482667777—TITANS. The door slid open silently. He wondered how the secret janitor got through that door. Did it accept his DNA, too?

"What kind of stupid things?" Raven asked suddenly. Her violet eyes showed no curiosity, though.

Beastboy scratched the back of his neck as he walked down the red-carpeted steps to the common room center. "Really stupid things. Dude, they were even stupider than usual." He tripped over himself and tumbled down the rest of the steps.

Raven sighed. "I can see you're feeling coordinated today." Light red energy glowed around Beastboy and lifted him up, straightening the carpet.

BB blushed, thinking about Love. She had had the same color cloak. "Um, thanks." Maybe Raven's the secret janitor! He thought excitedly, but shook off the notion. Beastboy decided to take a sudden risk and asked casually, "So, now your emotions show in your powers."

The empath froze. How did he know? And did he realize anything when her powers were red when she lifted him up? She lowered her eyes and spoke to the floor, taking a deep breath first to prevent her voice from trembling. "How did you know?"

Beastboy studied her stoic expression carefully. "You're not the only empath in Titans Tower," He repeated the line from weeks before. His heart beated wildly.

"I thought you could only tell emotions," Raven dared to look up, her eyes meeting with his immediately. The sudden eye contact made butterflies flutter in her stomach.

The changeling tried to see what she was feeling in those lovely violet eyes, but nothing came up. He could still sense her nervousness. Why would she be nervous? "I could tell…that you felt…" He ransacked his brain for the appropriate word. "Anxious. You aren't sure whether Trigon is gone, but it seems like he is because of what's happening to your emotions…right? I just sort of guessed."

Raven trembled. "U-um…yea." Great. She was stammering. Raven did not stammer. She mentally reprimanded herself. You sound like an idiot, Raven, She thought crossly. Stuttering like some fool.

Beastboy noticed she was trembling. Damn, what'd I do? He thought to himself. "Well, um, anyway, I think he's gone. Really gone, not like Slade."

The older Titan turned her head to the left and reached to put up her hood. Beastboy's hand shot out before he could stop himself and touched Raven's. In shock, she let the hood drop and a light blush spread across her cheeks.

Beastboy could've pinched himself. What was he doing? Nevertheless, he let his stupid tongue say the words in his mind. "Don't. It's nice to see your face."

Raven swallowed. She willed her hand not to start sweating in Beastboy's. "Erm, thanks." Her hand dropped to her side as Beastboy slowly let go. She wondered why nothing was breaking, like it had last time.

The light in the room suddenly began to change. The two turned and stared out the window. The sun toned down from its bright red to a gentle yellow and the sky became blue. The dried grass turned healthy and green, wildflowers popping up. The Titans gaped in shock.

"Dude, and it's not even spring," Beastboy muttered. His hand brushed against hers.

Raven frowned. What had just happened? She bet if she walked outside, it'd be ten degrees cooler. "I—I think I'm doing it…"

Looking at her curiously, Beastboy asked, "Doing what?" He mustered up the courage to take her hand in his. Raven felt her heart flutter.

"Never mind," She muttered.

He decided not to press her and changed the subject. He took a breath and said, "I really meant it when I said I liked you." Beastboy took her other hand. He fervently hoped that there would be no interruptions this time, like the other two times he had tried to kiss a girl (Terra and Raven).

Raven almost objected. She almost stepped away, almost ran to her room, almost snapped at him, for hadn't he called her creepy? Hadn't he kissed Terra and told the little brat she was emotionless? Hadn't he annoyed her over and over? But before she could do a thing, or gather up the audacity to do anything, he placed his lips on hers. Her heart raced. She certainly hadn't felt this way when Malchior kissed her and she had lost Innocence.

Beastboy couldn't believe it. He was kissing Raven, the girl he had crushed on for years before Terra, and after Terra. He felt her tense up and then relax into the kiss. Her lips and body were warm against his as adrenaline pumped through his body.

Unseen by the two, a person stopped at the entrance to the common room, staring in shock. Sadness, jealousy, and hurt mingled her facial features. She slunk away, unnoticed.

"Raven…" Beastboy mumbled softly into her ear as they pulled apart. She had felt so delicate against him, like a china doll. He leaned in for another kiss when footsteps came from the hallway to the right. They quickly parted.

"Greetings, friend Beastboy," Starfire greeted Beastboy, walking to where he was standing in front of the couch. "What is 'up'?"

"NOTHING!" Beastboy shouted, flustered. Starfire jumped and looked surprised. "I mean, uh, nothing! What would make you think I've been doing anything out of the ordinary? 'C-cause I've just been standing here, thinking about secret janitors and spandex, not doing anything…" He stuttered. "U-uh, I think I'll go…pick some weeds! Yeah! And I'll mail them to…um…GALTRY!! I'm sure he'll love it…" He babbled, running out of the room.

Starfire blinked, watching him leave. What just happened?

Raven mumbled something about reading tea and left, just as disconcerted.

The confused teen stood alone in the common room. She sniffed her armpit surreptitiously, but could find no odor. She shrugged. Perhaps it was just 'one of those days', as Robin often said.

* * *

"No you don't know what it's like…"

Something thudded.

"When nothing feels all right…"

He heard a loud yell of rage.

"You don't know what it's like…"

Robin switched off his music and frowned. What was that noise? He strained his ears.

"ARGH!"

He exited his room and followed the noise to its source. The leader paused in front of the room the noise was projecting from in the workout room. The yelling continued and then died away to soft sobs.

"Terra?" Robin peeked inside the door, gazing at her small figure in the middle of the large room, surrounded by large weights that she had apparently been throwing around. "Problems?" He hated the traitor, but still…

She shook her head, her blonde hair bouncing. "N-no…please g-go away…"

Robin started to say something, but stopped. He walked away with a shrug. Consolation was never really his thing. He figured he would just go get Starfire to soothe Terra and her heartaches, whatever they were.

"Star?" Robin's masked eyes admired Starfire's perfect figure, silhouetted in the sun pouring in through the windows of the common room. She stood there, looking very confused and innocent.

"I do not understand, Robin," Starfire's clear voice rang out, clear and concise. Her orange hair shone in the sun as she moved toward Robin. "I walked into the room and I greeted friends Beastboy and Raven, but Beastboy has gone to pick weeds to give to Galtry and Raven has gone to read her tea. Are these Earth expressions? They are quite as queer as 'digging the scene'."

Robin blinked. "Uh…I don't think so, princess."

Starfire blushed at the nickname. Beastboy and Cyborg had called her that for a few days after they had found out about her royal blood. They had stopped, but Robin had taken up calling her that in private.

"What were Beastboy and Raven doing?" Robin had a shrewd idea.

"Oh, they were simply standing on opposite sides of the room. Perhaps they were in a fight, because they were both flushed and not looking at each other."

Robin guessed his idea wasn't right if they were having a fight…oh well. He should focus on his own relationship, anyway. "Okay. Terra's crying in the workout room…can you find out what's wrong, princess?"

Star agreed to do so and left. As soon as she left, Beastboy came back in from outside, still blushing.

"Hi, Robin," He said, glancing around as if looking for something or someone.

"Hello. Are you mad at Raven or something?" Robin flicked at his gloves. Ugh, spandex.

"Mad? Me? No way! Raven's awesome! I mean, uh, sure! Yeah, I'm really mad! So mad that I drove her to reading tea, I mean, drinking books, uh, or, um, drove her away! Yeah, in fact, I—"

Robin rolled his eyes. "Okay, what are you hiding? Did you kiss?" He blanched. "I don't think I can sit on that couch anymore if you made out on it…"

Before Beastboy could retort, the alarm went off.

When they had arrived at the scene of the crime, which was at an ice skating rink downtown, the first villain they saw was Mammoth, who was just standing in front of the rink, blocking the entrance.

"What the…" Robin muttered. "What do they want, the money?" He surveyed the panorama. People were streaming out back and side exits, screaming. However, several were still just standing on the outside of the rink, yelling something incomprehensible. Gizmo was nowhere to be seen.

"Cyborg, Terra, you take down Mammoth. Raven, Beastboy, go see what's happening inside. Star, you try and see what those people are shouting about. I'll go find Gizmo. Titans, GO!" They split up.

Raven and Beastboy ran inside the building through a side door. Floating above the rink was a teenager, eighteen or nineteen. She had bright, flaringly red hair that was cut right below her ears. She was deathly pale and had tight blue pants with a top similar to Starfire's, without the metal plate and it was yellow. There were black rings around her eyes and she had vivid scarlet lipstick. Something was strangely familiar about her.

"Ah," She said calmly when she spotted Beastboy and Raven. "If it isn't two of the Teen Titans."

"Who are you?" Beastboy demanded. There was a ring of water around the ice, leaving dozens of skaters trapped on the rink.

"I am Shimmer, a matter transmuter," She announced grandly. Her red hair shone as she raised her hands. Pink energy swirled around them and all the ice in the rink melted, unceremoniously dumping the skaters into the icy water.

"What the hell is that?" Beastboy muttered to himself, but didn't waste time wondering. He changed into a large walrus and started fishing people out, leaving Raven to deal with Shimmer.

"Azarath, Metrion—ack!" The floor beneath Raven's feet disappeared and she started falling into the basement, but she flew before she could hit the ground. Raven assumed that by matter transmuter, Shimmer meant that she could change one matter to another matter, like she had changed the solid ice to liquid water and the solid floor to gas.

"Raven, right?" Shimmer smirked. "You're the one who corrupted sweet little Jinx. DIE!" Her hands shimmered with pink and she brought them down swiftly. The air above Raven turned into a large wooden block and drooped directly on her, knocking her unconscious.

"Rae!" Beastboy had gotten the last skater out of the water and ran over to Raven, shoving off the wood block. He knelt over her limp body helplessly. He didn't want to leave her, but he had to stop Shimmer. However, Starfire charged into the room this very minute.

"I do not know who you are, but you are hurting innocent people and I cannot allow that!" Starfire tossed one starbolt after another at Shimmer furiously. Shimmer dodged the tosses easily, yawning.

"I'm afraid you'll have to aim better than that, my dear," Shimmer simpered. She formed a circle in the air with her pink glowing hands and the air around Starfire turned into solid metal bars to form a cage. Starfire fell to the floor in the cage and found herself unable to bend the bars.

Robin arrived just to see that sight. Infuriated, he threw a bird-a-rang at shimmer, but the bird-a-rang turned into oxygen and disappeared. Robin found that all of his tools did the same and, thus defenseless, tried to help Star out of her cage, but only found himself in another cage of his own.

The air around Beastboy turned into a cage, but Beastboy morphed into a large African elephant and burst it. The ground beneath him turned into water, but BB turned into a seal, and even when the water above him turned into ice, blocking the surface, Beastboy just slammed at the ice and it shattered.

"What a bothersome creature you are," Shimmer scoffed. "Gizmo, be a darling and destroy the green one."

Gizmo, who had followed Robin in, grumbled, "Yes, ma'am." Turning to Beastboy, he barked in his immature voice, "Hey, amoeba boy, tell me where Jinx is and I'll kill you later instead of now!"

Beastboy blinked. For a moment, he actually felt sorry for Gizmo. Though his tone was harsh, his eyes were poignant and mournful. He looked like the child he was, lost, as if he had lost his big sister. He obviously despised Shimmer. Criminals still had feelings, even little bratty seven-year-old geniuses.

Any mercy Beastboy had for Gizmo disappeared when Gizmo fired two yellow bolts of energy at him from one of his machines. He ducked them easily. However, Mammoth had snuck up on him and simply hit Beastboy on his head, knocking him out.

Cyborg and Terra zoomed into the room. Shimmer tried the cage trick with Cyborg and it was efficient, but Terra burst through the cage by making spikes of dirt slice away the bars.

"Why looking so pale, Terra?" Shimmer called, her voice ringing with scorn. "Did Beastboy dump you?" Shimmer knew her weak spot, though she didn't know about Raven and Beastboy.

"SHUT UP!" Terra screamed, sending showers of rocks at Shimmer. Shimmer waved her hand and they turned into water, along with the ground beneath Terra. Before Shimmer could kill Terra, Cyborg blasted her with his cannon. She fell to the ground with a satisfying thud.

"You okay, Terra?" Cyborg asked, hauling her out of the water. She was shivering, water dripping from her clothes and hair, forming a puddle.

She nodded. When Cyborg turned around, he saw Mammoth scooping up Shimmer and darting them away with Gizmo. Cyborg and Terra let them go. They had to help the other Titans.

"BB?" Cyborg poked his friend. Beastboy moaned and sat up, rubbing his head. A little blood came off. He grimaced.

"Where's Raven?" He mumbled incoherently. His eyes swam, unable to focus.

Cyborg carried Raven over. She stirred and opened her eyes.

Starfire and Robin came over, out of their cages. Terra trailed along, looking anywhere but at Beastboy and Raven.

"You okay?" Robin asked.

"I just have a broken leg and was just knocked out. I have bruises all over me and just got my ass kicked. Of course I'm okay," She scowled at Robin and started healing herself with the red and purple energy of Rage and Sarcasm.

"I feel like I have a hangover," Beastboy groaned, wiping away blood from a nosebleed. He sneezed.

"What is this over of hang?" Starfire asked.

"Since when have you ever had one?" Robin inquired suspiciously. He glanced around the rink to make sure no people were still inside.

"Shut up, Robin."

"We have to get Jinx," proclaimed Raven in her monotone voice. She knelt beside Beastboy and placed her hands over his abdomen and started healing him. She prevented herself from shaking from the touch with great difficulty.

Beastboy blushed and turned away. "Hey, Terra, why don't you come over here?" Terra was standing resolutely in a corner.

She shook her head, her back to the others. She couldn't stand seeing Raven and Beastboy. The next thing she knew, however, Beastboy was by her side.

"What's wrong, Terra?" Beastboy asked, all seriousness.

Terra shook her head again. A single tear slid down her cheek slowly. "G-go away, Beastboy. P-please." In her mind, she kept replaying the scene over and over involuntarily—Beastboy and Raven, thinking they were alone in the common room, kissing. How long had it been going on? Had Beastboy ever really liked her in the first place?

"Terra, I just—"

"Beastboy, I need to be alone!" She said forcefully, more tears sliding down. Before she knew it, rocks were swirling around her. The blond closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Don't lose your temper. Don't lose your temper, like Slade told—no, like Robin told you not to, Terra thought. The rocks dropped to the ground. However, she still hadn't regained control over her tongue. "Go snog Raven or something!"

Beastboy became uncomfortable. He could feel the other Titans' eyes boring into his back of his head. "Um…"

Suddenly, a pink energy ball swirled in front of Beastboy and Terra. A flash of purple and more pink flipped out of it, revealing itself to be Jinx. The first thing she said was a loud curse.

"Jinx!" Robin hurried forward. He wasn't completely sure whether to trust Jinx, even if Raven did. "Did you see Gizmo or Mammoth?"

Jinx smoothed back her skirt. "Gizmo's in jail, but I think he'll get out for good behavior if he can hold himself back." She scowled. "Mammoth is being an idiot. He's no longer my companion."

"Do you know who that hot girl that was hanging out with him was?" Beastboy asked. Raven clandestinely stepped on his foot, her action hidden by the folds of her dark blue cloak. When he was sure the others weren't looking, he made a face at Raven. Just kidding, he mouthed.

Jinx glanced at the two amusedly, then at Terra, who was staring mundanely at the floor. "Shimmer? She's Mammoth's older sister."

"Older sister?" Starfire asked. She cocked her head, her amber hair swishing to one side. "Where has she been all this time? She is quite powerful."

The pink-cheeked girl put one hand on her hip and looked thoughtful. After a long suspension, she said, "I think she was dead, but somehow Mammoth got her back to life. Probably something he actually learned from the Theory of Mayhem test that Cyborg here nearly failed."

Robin nearly choked. So that was a real test.

Cyborg blushed. He felt fluttery being near this beautiful girl. "Yeah, well, you almost failed the test about how to conquer world domination."

"Well, you—"

"Anyway," Robin interrupted. He didn't want to hear about any more tests. "Shimmer is a dangerous criminal. Do you know any simple way to defeat her, Jinx?"

Jinx raised an eyebrow. "Oh, like I could find out her weaknesses from only seeing a couple of pictures of her."

Suddenly, there was a loud clatter and every Titan and Jinx found themselves surrounded by microphones.

"How do you feel about the new criminal?"

"Is she particularly dangerous?"

"How is your relationship with Starfire going, Robin?"

"Where have you been the last month? There has been rumors that you've been in Africa…can you clarify?"

"Terra—Beastboy: how are you getting along? Or are you and Raven forming a relationship currently?"

"How do you feel about Jinx, Cyborg?"

"Jinx—have you really reformed your criminal ways?"

"Starfire—have you been to Tamaran lately?"

Robin sighed and began to deal with the newscasters. "Shimmer is a very precarious criminal…"

* * *

Happy Holidays and Happy 2005 to everyone! :) I haven't updated in forever becase of a) Laziness and lack of fire for Teen Titans, b) The holidays and gift wrapping and all that, and c) Sims 2/the new Marauders Harry Potter fanfiction I'm writing. Sorry for the delay and the pathetic first and second chapter.... I'm very Marauder-y now that I know the sixth Harry Potter book is coming out on July 16...:P

Oh, and for future reference, if I forget you in my replies/thank yous to your reviews, don't feel offended. :P Sometimes I skip over by accident or you review _right_ after I put this up or something, so your review might not have shown up. :)

TDG3RD-- Really? I thought the Yin and Yang was way better than this...thanks!

Tori--Yeah, I think so, too. :P

IAmImmortal--I was never really into romance. xD What's wtv or is that just a typo?

Reveric Tigress--I have an obsession with Harry Potter (Marauders era). :D

Daydreamer1313--Yeah, I'm not really into art that much, but Jackson Pollock is awesome. :) When I was writing that part, I was thinking of his paintings and couldn't remember his name...

flannelsanddramaqueens--Heh, oops. But hey, I get ESP and ESPN confused, too. When I was little, I thought ESP was a TV station...:P

rae1112--Wtf?!

Monique--That's such a pretty name. :)

BreakStuff--Lol, I hate those. Like the first thing you read is, 'BB and Rae started making out on the floor'. Hopefully this wasn't _too_ fast...

dancingirl3--I emailed you. :P

candyclouds711--I hate Terra. xD There's Rob/Star in the next chapter...

quite-a-shame-- They kissed. :)

mew-xena-- -glances around- -whispers- To tell the truth, I haven't really figured out what the vision was of, either. I have this vague idea that I will most probably use, and the idea is that **CENSORED**.

DarkRavenna-- Lol. :P

warprince2000, ultraviolet4ever, stella-s55, The Mad shoe, sweetpea, Veral42, aurorasmist, 10920, Unforgettable, and purplerave--thanks!

Happy New Year,

Lily


	3. Leaving

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or Shimmer—she's from the original Teen Titans comic books.

**Chapter 3: Leaving  
**

So kiss me and smile for me  
Tell me that you'll wait for me  
Hold me like you'll never let me go

'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane  
I don't know when I'll be back again  
Oh, babe, I hate to go

**Leaving on a Jet Plane, Several Singers (as in a lot of different people sing it)**

Perched delicately on a brown, emaciated branch outside Titans Tower, a robin sang, even though it was the wrong season. The colorful melody danced through the early morning air, its lovely tune floating happily. It took flight, its chocolate wings spreading wide, the breeze drifting past it gently. It launched into the bright blue sky, silhouetted against the golden sun, still singing it beautiful song, and then it…crashed right into the window of Titans Tower.

"There goes another one," Beastboy sighed regretfully, watching its limp body slide down the glass with a squeak. "Maybe we shouldn't clean the windows anymore or put up drapes."

Everyone ignored him as they munched on breakfast. Birds crashing into the windows were common, as the citizens of Jump City loved them so much that the window wipers wiped their windows for free every day.

Beastboy poked Robin. "That was just your namesake that died!"

The savory smell of fried eggs wafted into the air, intermingled with the reek of burnt toast as their toaster had decided to blow up that morning. Sunlight streamed into the room.

"You didn't use namesake right," Robin said dryly, biting into burnt toast. It was crumbly and chalky and tasted like sand. He grimaced at the nauseating taste and put the toast back down, turning his fork toward his eggs. His masked eyes skimmed over the newspaper, looking for the rumors in articles about the Titans so he could beat up the authors.

"I mean, how do you think the robins would like it if YOU slid down their windows?" Beastboy fumed, his eyes flashing.

"Beastboy. It's just a bird," Cyborg yawned widely and Starfire choked on the putrid stench of his breath, eyes bulging. Robin pounded her on the back and she smiled at him.

"Just a bird!" Beastboy was outraged. "Birds have feelings, too! Or…I think they do…" Beastboy blinked and looked puzzled. "Or maybe that's just me…but dolphins have feelings…so do birds have feelings? No, they have feelings, but they don't have thoughts...I think..." He muttered to himself and the rest of the Titans sighed with relief. The question would shut him up for at least five seconds.

There was an atypical silence as Beastboy leaned back on his chair and chewed on his lip, looking bamboozled. The refrigerator hummed and drops of orange juice dripped off the table onto the floor with tiny plops.

Cyborg, unnerved by the lack of arguing, screaming, chatting, or yelling, spoke up. "Did you find any info on Shimmer, Robin?"

Robin shook his head and the kitchen fell silent again.

Raven frowned into the pages of her book. She could sense a feeling of sorrow coming from one of the Titans, but she couldn't figure out which. Her eyes strayed over the top of her book to stare at each of the Titans. Robin was drowning down a glass of milk and he was looking at Starfire. He could be missing his deceased family or Bruce and Alfred, but when she checked his mind, it was full of gooey thoughts about Star. Cyborg was poking at his 'real' eggs and thinking about nothing in particular except how his egg was sort of shaped like a balloon. Terra wasn't there. Beastboy was still thinking about animals and their feelings while Starfire's mind was in Tamaranian, so Raven couldn't quite tell. She shrugged the feeling off, assuming it was a bout of homesickness from Starfire. However, silence still reigned, and she had to stop it.

"I can hear myself think and it's scaring me. Start talking," Raven commanded.

Beastboy finally decided the subject was too advanced and fell backwards on his chair. His muffled voice called out, "I thought you didn't do fear."

Starfire, who seemed to be thinking heavily, quietly spoke up. "I have some news that I am afraid you will not like…" She stared down at her hands.

The others looked up, not liking the disheartening look on her face. She seemed guilty of something.

"What?" Robin put a gloved hand on her shoulder. Starfire looked up and smiled at him uneasily.

During the pause in which she spoke, Beastboy dragged his chair back up and plopped it down next to Raven, looking unusually serious. Cyborg leaned forward and Raven put down her book. Robin blushed slightly at being so close to Starfire.

"I have gotten news from Tamaran—Galfore has lead our planet to war with…with…" Starfire looked at the other Titans, her green eyes large and her voice trembling. "With Azarath."

The Titans glanced at Raven.

"Whatever," Raven shrugged, indifferent. She ignored Beastboy's curious stare. "I don't have any family there." Her purple hair swooped forward to hide her mauve eyes.

"Oh, but that is not all," Starfire fretted, wringing her hands. "I must go back to Tamaran and rule while Galfore is out to war. I do not know how long I must stay, for wars can last very long." A single tear trickled down her right eye and landed in her eggs. "I do not wish to leave, but I must!"

There was another hush as this sudden news sank in. Starfire, the Titans' ray of sunshine, gone? For a vacillating amount of time? It was almost as bad as saying Starfire was quitting.

Robin couldn't help himself. "But can't someone else rule?" He blurted out bluntly. His brain was numb with shock and his voice shook. It was like the situation with her marriage all over again.

Star shook her head, amber hair swinging from side to side. "I am afraid it is my duty." She buried her face in a surprised Robin, choking out muffled sobs. He awkwardly patted her back.

Unexpectedly, the weather outside became gray and dismal. The blue sky faded to a dull tint, the sun sank behind impenetrable clouds, and all singing birds fell silent. The thriving plants drooped and blackened whilst the temperature dropped ten degrees and a light drizzle began to fall. Faint rumbles of thunder shook throughout Jump City

Everyone stared out the window.

"Wow," Cyborg muttered. "First hot, then nice, and now this. Wonder what's doing it."

However, all thoughts of the changing weather were erased when Robin, undistracted, said, "But why?" His voice sounded hollow and empty.

Starfire looked away from his mask, where she knew mournful eyes were hiding. She straightened, wiping her eyes. "It is not as bad as it seems. Perhaps the war will only be one day."

"What about listening to your heart or whatever you said last time?" Beastboy asked in dismay.

"My heart is telling me to rule for Tamaran, for I cannot let Blackfire be Ruler of Tamaran. I must protect my planet." Starfire thought of the third person in line for the throne, her cousin, Gianlore, who as kind as Blackfire, and shuddered. "I must depart tomorrow."

"So soon?" Raven said.

"Can we visit or call or something?" Cyborg asked.

Starfire shook her head. "Visiting is too dangerous, and I do not think the phones of tell can call from so far away. We can afford no one to send messages to Earth from Tamaran, for all well-bodied citizens will be in the war. I also believe that you must all stay for the good of Jump City."

There was too much truth in this to ignore. Robin reached towards her, but she pushed him away regretfully.

"I'll…go tell Terra…" Beastboy muttered, standing up. He walked away, head drooping like a rejected puppy.

Starfire bit her lip. More tears fell, splashing onto the floor like tiny bombs. Her usual bright and sunny eyes were dull and lifeless, as if her tears had extinguished all happiness. "I am sorry." She turned and walked down the hallway, footsteps echoing sadly.

* * *

"Terra?" Beastboy rapped on the metal door labeled TERRA, the cold material numbing his knuckles. "I need to tell you something." 

Inside, Terra stood up from her bed where she had been quietly thinking. She ran a brush through her hair quickly as she said, "What?"

Beastboy noted the coldness in her voice but chose to ignore it. "Can I come in?"

"No," She said flatly.

"But it's important!"

"You can tell me from there," Terra took a hair band and strung her long hair into a ponytail. She doubted whatever he wanted to say was important. As far as she knew, he was a two-timer.

Outside, Beastboy shifted uncomfortably. "Okay…Starfire's leaving for Tamaran to rule while there's a war against Azarath and Tamaran and she doesn't know when she's coming back."

Terra froze. Dread and disbelief filled her. "You're kidding!" She blurted out, staring at the plain gray door. Starfire was the only one who had almost completely forgotten her previous actions. Terra opened the door. "BB? I need to ask…" Her words died away.

The hallway was empty.

* * *

Robin embraced her one last time, savoring her warmth against his body, the feel of her soft hair brushing against his face, and her sweet scent. He could feel her tears dripping on him, mixed with rain and his own tears. 

"I shall come back as soon as possible," She whispered before parting. "I…will miss you."

Robin watched through his milky white mask as the others said their farewells. They all knew this could be the last time they ever saw their beloved teammate.

"Star…I'll miss our 'girl talks' and trips to the mall," Raven muttered quietly to her, so no one could hear. Raven's dark hood protected her face, but inside, her heart was breaking. She did not want to lose her best friend. "Don't get hurt."

"I won't ever forget your lessons of respect," Beastboy promised. "I'll try hard not to be a glor—goor—um, an idiot while you're gone."

"Thank you for being the first person to ever trust me," Terra whispered, her hoarse voice choking. Who was she going to hang out with without Star?

"I'll always remember your Tamaranian folk songs—they always cheered me up," Cyborg said. It wasn't a lie—the very fact that she was trying always made him happier, though he didn't want to admit it.

"Goodbye, friends," Starfire said, tears streaming off her face. The rain dripped down onto her head steadily. "I will never forget you—and I hope you will never forget me." She paused. "Robin…"

He looked steadily into her vibrant emerald eyes, shining in the rain. Her face looked as beautiful as always and she looked thoughtful. "Yeah?"

Starfire stepped forward and kissed his cheek lightly. She launched into the air, looked back once, and with a final crash of thunder, she was gone—a speck of dust in the dreary, forlorn sky.

"I love you…" Robin whispered, so softly he could hardly hear himself. "I love you, Starfire. Please come back soon." Misery hung in the air.

The wind howled and mourned with them and the rain cried heavy, fat tears that were small knives stabbing them with freezing, quick jabs. Pain flared up inside them, not because of the cold that was enveloping them, but because of their hearts.

* * *

Robin silently flipped through the scrapbook. It was three AM and he was already up. He had hardly slept, knowing that Starfire's cheerful face wasn't going to be there the next morning. 

Star's decision was so sudden. It had affected every Titan and all the citizens of Jump City. Robin wondered if this was going to be the team's downfall, just like in Starfire's adventure with Warp. Maybe Warp was right—time was etched in stone. Perhaps he would turn into Nightwing and find himself helping Starfire defeating Warp, telling her that if she got back to the past (or present—however you want to say it), that she could fix everything. Maybe he would tell her that, knowing that if she got back, she would leave for Tamaran less than five years later, and the team would fall apart. It was a complicated thing, time travel, and it made Robin's head throb.

He paused at a picture of him and Starfire watching fireworks exploding over Titans Tower, their dazzling colors against the midnight sky captured forever in one photo. Their faces were enraptured and blissful, not a care in the world reflected in them. The teen's heart felt weighed down with her loss. He wished he could call or visit or anything, but it was impossible.

In another room, Raven held up her pink cloak Starfire had given her for her birthday, the soft velvet brushing against her fingers. She had a gaping hole carved into her heart where Starfire used to be. Tears slid slowly down her cheeks, but she wiped them away quickly, angrily, sadly.

"The past is the past. There is no reason to dwell on it. Nothing lasts forever," Raven said aloud. It was the first thing Azar had ever taught her, yet Raven never listened. She always held grudges, especially against Terra. This time, she thought it would be less agonizing just to let Starfire go, to bury her in the back of her mind. Nothing lasts forever.

Every single Titan saw her everywhere—her face beaming out of a picture, her tinkling voice drifting out of her favorite spot on the couch. They found reminders of her everywhere: on a box of her favorite cereal, her favorite television show playing on the TV, containers of mustard in the fridge, old spoons and bowels she often used for her puddings, and memories. The memories hurt the most, for they were everywhere, even in the oddest places, such as in the hallway. They couldn't be avoided or pushed away, and most of all, they couldn't be ignored. They saw her flying merrily down the hallway, always cheerful, always smiling evermore. Every time someone had to pass her room, they hurried past, not wanting to remind themselves that she was gone, whether for a week or ten years or forever.

Raven set the cloak down and was about to go brew some soothing herbal tea when a voice spoke in her head.

_Raven..._

Panicking, she automatically put barriers up around her mind, wondering if she was going insane. The voice broke through the barrier again, sounding more urgent.

_Raven, listen to me._

She wondered if it was her conscience. They hadn't spoken for quite some time. She was sure it wasn't her emotions, because she could always tell if it was them arguing inside her, and besides, they had been gone since Trigon's attack.

_This is Azara, daughter of Azar._

Raven sighed in relief._ Forgive me. I thought you were…something else._

_I know_, Azara's voice replied wryly. _I would have contacted you through the mirror my mother gave you, but it seems to be inaccessible._

And then Azara explained something that made Raven sit down in distress.

* * *

Sorry for a) the EXTREMELY short chapter and b) the delay. I had writer's block and I wanted to include more in this chapter, but I thought it would be rushing things and...yeah. oo 

?????????????????????-- I love your name. xD

Pain and Tears-- -agrees- This story sucks so far. But it will get better! I promise. :) GARY OLDMAN (the guy who acts Sirius) IS SOOOOO UGLY! xX I thought the third movie stunk (stank? stunk?). When they make the fifth one and the flashback (which they better not cut out like in POA when they cut out pretty much everything important), Sirius better be a hawt actor.And do you want to be a staff member in my c2 community?

nikki87-- I'll keep that it mind. :)

ultraviolet4ever-- Marshmellow...-chew-

Firpi-- Eh heh, close guess. xD

Brittany-- Lol, okay whatever, and happy b-day! :)

Veral42-- GRAMMAR ERRORS?! -takes out grammar gun- WHERE?! WHERE?!?!?!?!

An-- I didn't post it yet, but when I do I'll let you know. ;)

Silvery-veritas-- Ah, I'll have to read that fic. :) And do you want to be a staff member in my c2 community?

CreatorOfKitty-- LOL! I got that word from Harry Potter fanfics, so that might explain the really old English vocabulary I use. xD

quite-a-shame-- Yay! :D :D :D :D :D

IAmImmortal--Ooh, I use w/e or w.e. for whatever. xP And do you want to be a staff member in my c2 community?

Reveric Tigeress-- TY! Want to be a staff member in my c2 community?

Maruken, NevermorePsychicSorceror, Aravenandherbeast, Lady-Dragon-Demon, candyclouds711, warprince2000, Dark-Bird2, DudeBBR/AAML, and nevermoretheraven--thanks!

Have a good weekend,

Lily


	4. Missing You

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, Phobia, or the Society of Sin. I have limited information about Phobia or the Society of Sin, so I made up a lot of the information, so don't get confused if you read the Teen Titans comics. All my information is probably wrong, anyway. xD

**A/N: Someone (forgot who, sorry –wince-) told me in his or her review that Azarath is a dimension, not a planet. I was assuming it was a planet, so sorry about that mistake. So, from now on, we're going to pretend Azarath is a planet. Also, the idea of introducing Phobia was from TDG3RD. Everyone clap for him! –claps loudly-**

**Chapter 4: Missing You**

_Now I'm sitting here  
Thinking bout you  
And the days we used to share  
It's driving me crazy  
I don't know what to do  
I'm just wondering if you still care  
And I don't want to let you know  
that it's killing me  
I know you got another life  
And gotta concentrate baby_

_Come back to me (to me)  
Can you hear me (calling)  
Hear me calling (for you) for you  
cause it's_

_It's been too long and I'm lost without you  
What am I gonna do  
Said I've been needing you Ooh...Ooh  
Wanting you  
Wondering if you're the same and  
Who's been with you  
Is your heart still mine (Is your heart still mine)  
I wanna cry sometimes  
I miss you_

**I Miss You, Aaliyah (RIP)**

Her footsteps echoing in the vast hall and the gentle swish of her long, amethyst dress were the only sounds in the cosmic room. Starfire ran her immaculate fingertips over the nippy surface of the smooth marble dining table and sighed. Being a queen was not only lonely and problematic, but it was also dull. She had neither seen nor heard of her fellow Titans or her rancorous sister. The teenager knew that there was no way of contacting them—calls and the Internet didn't extend this far, it would be foolish for the Titans to leave Jump City unguarded, and anyone who could have been a messenger between the friends was involved in the war.

Tamaran was not faring well. Many had perished in the war effort and Tamaran's grounds were covered with blood and bodies, since the war was being held on Tamaran. Every day, Azarath was bringing fresh waves of soldiers and warriors, strong and treacherous. However, one could not say Azarath was winning, for the Tamaranians were strong and had defended themselves well and Azarath was suffering much causality. Starfire hated it all and wished for the wars to stop and for the two planets to come to peace. She didn't even know what the war was about, and when she had asked Galfore, he had shaken his head and said nothing, no matter how much Starfire had persisted in her questioning. She did not understand why she couldn't know; after all, if she was considered mature enough to be betrothed and be ruler of Tamaran, she was surely mature enough to know the cause of the horrible war raging between the two planets.

As for Azarath…Starfire wondered who their ruler was. She would gladly agree to meet peacefully with him or her and come up with a compromise to end this war, for she didn't think Azarath liked the war, either. She knew for a fact that they weren't trying to take over Tamaran, so whatever the problem was, it was possible to solve it peacefully without losing any more lives.

"Queen Koriand'r, I have a message from Azarath," A messenger hurried over to her and bowed, holding out a scroll wrapped by a midnight ribbon.

"Thank you," Starfire accepted the scroll, fingers tracing over the texture of the parchment. It was glossy smooth and yellowish white in color. On Earth, they had only used paper and people rarely used parchment anymore. The ribbon was soft and handsome. She tugged at it and it fell away gracefully. Star caught it out of the air and held it while unrolling the scroll. What she read stunned her and lit a small fire of hope inside her heart.

* * *

Raven fretted inside her room, wondering what to do. She had to leave tomorrow at dawn—everything was packed and she had sent it ahead with her powers. The problem wasn't getting there, but breaking the news to her fellow Titans. She fingered the necklace Beastboy had given her absentmindedly, eyes sweeping the room for anything she had left behind. With two Titans gone, their enemies could easily take advantage of the Titans. However, the rain was still coming down in buckets—maybe that would hold off the villains. It had for the past few days.

She sighed and let go of the locket. Raven figured she should break the news to the Titans one by one, starting with Beastboy. Not only did she have to tell him the news, but also she had to discuss something else very imperative with him: Terra.

Raven opened the door, wondering where to check for Beastboy. Room first, she decided, being as it was the closest. Her hand hovered over the door, preparing to knock. Her palms began to sweat with nervousness and she jumped back as the light in the hallway was engulfed in light green and shattered, showering Raven and the hall with bits of glass. They fell down like the rain outside, their bits and pieces shining in the light from under Beastboy's door. Raven cursed as some of it landed in her hair. Outside, the moon winced and hid behind a thundercloud.

Beastboy's door opened abruptly at the sound and BB stood in the doorway, blinking. Raven stared at him, her face reddening slightly.

"Um, hi, Rae," Beastboy said uneasily. He glanced at the broken light bulb and then back at the girl in front of him. "Er…"

She waved her hand and muttered her famous words and the glass was engulfed into a black void. However, the glass in her hair still remained stubbornly on her head.

"Why don't you come in, and I'll help you with your new hairdo," Beastboy suggested, and he sat Raven down at his computer chair and turned into a monkey, picking out bits of glass as monkeys would pick out fleas. She smiled slightly as he cheeped in her ear.

"Beastboy…about Terra…"

The monkey cocked his head and looked at her questioningly.

The wind sighed and swept the rain across the city in sheets.

"Do you love her?" Raven blurted out, unable to take it. She had seen the kiss BB had given her in Africa and hadn't forgotten it. She doubted Terra had forgotten, too.

Beastboy jumped off the back of the seat and morphed back, looking shocked and a little distressed. "No! I mean, I used to, but now it's different! Well, I think I used to. I…" He sputtered, then trailed off, looking bemused.

"You need to think it out," Raven said firmly. She refused to meet his eyes, and instead watched the lightning dance outside.

He watched her carefully. "There's something else, isn't there? Rae, I—"

"No, it's not about you…it's about me," Raven cut him off, her voice wavering. She quavered slightly and Beastboy's lights started to flicker. The girl took in deep breaths and the light steadied.

"What's up?" Beastboy reached for her hand and looked deep into her eyes. When she hesitated, he said, "Well, whatever it is, it can't be as bad as Star leaving or anything, so—"

Every light in the Tower shattered and Raven stood up, stumbling as she made her way toward the door. Tears streamed down her face as she tripped into Beastboy's arms. No, she couldn't do this. Couldn't leave her home, her friends, practically her family, to go back to the place where she was born, cursed with a father like Trigon. She didn't want to leave the Tower, where she had found refuge, and go back to Azarath, the place that she had hated because of what people thought of her. They had thought her a demon, a witch, and not to be trusted, while the Titans would give up their lives for her (with maybe the exception of Terra).

"Raven! Calm down, Rae, come on, tell me what's wrong—" He steadied her and tried to see through the darkness. The light from the lightning and moon was enough to slightly illuminate Beastboy's room. He could catch glimpses of Raven's face.

Raven took in another deep breath and calmed herself. She closed her eyes and remembered Azar's words. Peace. Tranquility. Control you emotions—they are harmful and will only hurt you. Stoicism. Expressionless. The world is nothing.

Beastboy waited for her patiently. He wondered what was making her so upset. He had never seen her blow up more than three things at a time and it somewhat frightened him. The thing that frightened him wasn't Raven—it was whatever news she had to say.

The teenage girl took one last deep breath and spoke. "Beastboy, tomorrow I am leaving for Azarath. I need to—I have to—help Azarath in the war. Azara, Azar's daughter, has asked me to rule over Azarath while she leads the troops to Tamaran, and I can't refuse, not after what Azar has done for me."

"But…" Beastboy paled and shook his head. "But, Raven! Starfire—the city—you can't!"

"I have to, Beastboy," Raven said fiercely. "I owe it to Azar. Without her, I wouldn't be here, Beastboy—I would be dead or under Trigon's control."

He just stared at her in shock and there was a silence between the two. Raven winced as thunder boomed through the air.

The rain tapped on the window impatiently, coming down heavier than ever. The waves roared and crashed against the rocks of Titans Island with incredible force, spraying sheets of black-blue water. A dark silhouette crouched on a rock on said island, watching, waiting. Her eyes were focused on one window of one room in Titans Tower: Terra's room. The seconds ticked by and the rain rolled smoothly down her olive cape, dropping into the drowning grass below her. Up in the window, a flashlight flickered on and bobbed around the room. She smiled and closed her eyes, probing into the blonde's mind. Slade would be so pleased…

* * *

Terra felt around for a flashlight and flicked it on, the dim yellow light flooding the space in front of her. She aimed the flashlight at the bits of glass on the floor that had just come from the light bulb that had exploded on her ceiling. Was Raven outside her door?

Suddenly, her hands turned into butter and the heavy flashlight slipped out of her hands, landing on her foot and flickering off. She cursed and bent down to pick it up and found herself face to face with the person she feared most.

Slade wasted no time on greetings. He drew back his fist and Terra was slammed against the wall, pain coursing through her abdomen. She gasped for breath; the punch had knocked the wind out of her and the blonde felt paralyzed for a moment. Terra struggled to stand up, tasting the bitter taste of blood in her mouth. What was Slade doing here? How did he get in? And what was that shape on the floor that looked incredibly like…

Terra drew in a sharp breath and bit her lip. "Beastboy!" The green-skinned teen lay on the ground, blood pooling around his body. Both eyes were closed. Dread and worry raced through her and she could feel the sting of tears at her eyes. Her hands turned clammy with fear and she paled. He was still breathing, but…

Slade's voice wormed into Terra's ears, deep and menacing. "Finish him, Terra."

The Titan closed her eyes as she felt her hands lifting. No, this wasn't happening. No! She could make decisions, she could defeat Slade, and he couldn't tell her what to do…. However, the hands still lifted, and she could feel the familiar tug of power. Terra struggled, trying to force her hands down, but to no avail. They clenched into fists and panic coursed through her body, gargantuan waves of horror washing over her mind and heart. Her body stood straight and moved forward slowly…. Terra wanted to scream. No, this wasn't happening…she could control herself, she could fight off Slade and make her own choices, and no one could control her, and if she killed Beastboy it would be all her fault because she had a choice…

She could feel her power digging deep into the rocks of Titans Tower, selecting the sharpest and heaviest rocks, lifting them…. Terra screamed as the rocks crashed through the window, the glass embedding itself into her skin with sharp bolts of smoldering pain. But the pain only increased when the rocks, engulfed in her own yellow power, rammed straight into Beastboy's body. However, the pain was nothing compared to the fear that surrounded her thoughts…

* * *

The scream jolted Beastboy out of his dazed stupor. "Wha…" He shook his head quickly and raced towards Terra's room, where the scream had come from. Raven followed behind him and when they reached the door, Cyborg and Robin had just gotten there. Robin quickly opened the door, deactivating the lock. The Titans stared in confusion. Terra had one hand held up, pain distorting her face. The floor was littered with dozens of rocks that had apparently crashed into it. Tears were streaming down her face and she fell to her knees and sobbed. Rain swept through the broken window in sheets, spraying her room.

"Terra?" Beastboy walked forward and touched her arm, but she didn't seem to notice.

"All…my…fault," Terra blubbered, her eyes focused on the spot where the rocks had indented most. "Slade…go away…"

"And she's finally gone insane," Raven muttered. She jerked back into the hallway, a strange sensation tugging at her. Something evil was outside Titans Tower, she could sense it, feel it, even…

No one seemed to notice Raven's sharp movement. Robin kneeled beside Terra and examined her cuts from the glass and Cyborg and Beastboy talked to her soothingly, trying to calm her down. She ignored them both, ostensibly not noticing them.

Raven probed Terra's mind and found someone else was already in it. The someone was shadowy, mysterious, and as Raven touched its mind a sharp jolt of fear raced through her and she stumbled to her knees, gasping for breath. Beads of sweat gathered on her forehead as the fear flooded her body from the other person's mind. She put up barriers, refusing to let this unseen opponent make her frightened. The person had almost broken through Raven's barrier and invaded her mind when Beastboy's voice floated into her ears.

"Raven! Quick, you guys, I think whatever got Terra is getting Rae…"

Raven opened her eyes and the person was cut off sharply. "Phobia…. That's who got Terra. Phobia."

* * *

"That's enough," Slade's voice was so sudden that the woman almost fell off the rock. "Leave Raven. Terra was enough."

She nodded, and after a flash of lightning and a swish of green cloth, the rock was bare.

* * *

"Phobia can drag out your deepest, darkest fears and make them real," Raven looked around at her fellow Titans. They were all seated on the black sofa, Terra trembling in a corner. "She twists your mind and makes you see illusions of your fears, illusions so realistic you actually think it's happening. She's part of a group called Society of Sin. I don't know much about them except that Warp is a member of it." She paused and a grim smile found its way to her lips. "How ironic."

Robin ignored the last comment. "So is there any way to defend yourself?"

"I could with my powers, but none of you could probably do it," Raven glanced out the window at the pouring rain. "I'm surprised she's wasting her time on us. Villains like her usually pick on the Justice League."

"So why Terra and not one of us?" Cyborg asked. He numbly wondered what his deepest fear was.

Beastboy started fumbling around for something between the couch cushions.

"She might have chosen randomly," Raven mused. She glanced at Beastboy, who had dug up a pair of round, fake glasses and a black haired wig, which had been, for some reason, under the couch. "What are you doing?"

He slipped on the glasses and wig. "Do I look like Harry Potter?"

"…Phobia isn't a boggart."

Silence.

"Okay, moving on…" Robin said loudly, taking charge, "Cyborg, check the security cameras. Beastboy, take off that stupid wig—why was that under the couch anyway? Go and search around the island. Raven, search Terra's mind for any signs of Phobia. Sorry, Terra, but it's necessary. I'll try and find out more about the Society of Sin. Okay? Titans, g—"

"Wait," Raven interrupted him. "I need to tell you guys something…"

-many tears and good-byes later because the author is too lazy to write another mushy part-

"At least we're not in the rain this time," Beastboy said bracingly, glancing around the front hall of Titans Tower. The others stared at him blankly and he muttered, "Never mind."

Raven took a deep breath. This was it, then. "I'll be going now, I guess…"

"But what if someone else went—" Robin started to say, still not accepting the fact that two members of his team were gone/leaving.

Raven cut him off. "No, Robin. No one else could, anyway." She held out a hand and it glowed the bleak midnight blue of Sorrow. Her powers began to swirl into a round portal.

Suddenly, Beastboy grabbed her wrists and Raven almost let go of her powers, startled. The portal floated in mid air. Beastboy leaned down and, without saying anything, kissed her.

Terra gave a little jump and turned around quickly, feeling as if a bomb had dropped in her stomach. Robin's eyes bulged behind his mask and he and Cyborg glanced each other. Cyborg stuffed his fist in his mouth to keep from laughing (quite a difficult feat, and I don't know why people do it, but I've seen people do that, so…go figure), despite the dreary situation. Robin flushed and turned away.

Raven's cheeks tinged with pink as her lips pressed against his. Though she wished for the kiss to never end, she was still aware of the others watching. As Terra fell down in one of the many armchairs lining the front hall in dismay, Raven gently pried herself from Beastboy's grip.

"I love you," He whispered. "Come back soon."

"I love you, too," Raven muttered. They parted and Raven left.

The portal closed.

* * *

For those of you who didn't read my A/N (I know you're out there -growl-), TDG3RD was the one who gave me the idea of Phobia. :D 

My excuse for not updating when I said I would is my sore throat and cough. xX

Pain and Tears- Yeah, that mustache is gross. -gag- Btw, I added you to c2 staff, but you have to activate it by checking your email. xP

Kimi-You weren't supposed to know! xD

Reveric Tigeress-Check ya email for the c2 activation thing. :)

Silvery-veritas-points to above message-

ultraviolet4ever-Yeah, I saw them. :o MARSHMELLOW-pounce-

nevermoretheraven-Alright, I'll check it out. ;)

Thanks, Veral42, killkikyopeople, warprince2000, Dark-Bird2, CHEENAMI Danny, lil-c-girl2218, mew-xena, quite-a-shame, scubagurl, prox 083, and DarkSin!

Lily


	5. Disbanded

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, Phobia, or…um…anything else you can think of.

**Chapter 5: Title**

_I don't want to run away but I can't take it, I don't understand_

_If I'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am?_

_Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?_

_If I don't need you then why am I crying on my bed?_

_If I don't need you then why does your name resound in my head?_

_If you're not for me then why does this distance maim my life?_

**If You're Not the One, David Bedingfield**

After Raven left, Terra ran up to her room and threw herself on her bare bed. She heaved big, wailing baby sobs into her pillow. First the blonde felt poignant and miserable about the kiss.

_He never loved me_, She thought depressingly.

Then anger overtook her. How dare he kiss her in Upper Lamumba and turn around just to make out with Raven two seconds later? The anger turned into burning flames of infuriation that were soon extinguished by a massive wave of confusion. Perhaps she had misunderstood? Maybe she imagined the kiss in Africa, or the one just moments before. Maybe she was delusional. Terra had been called insane more than once by the tabloids. Maybe they were right.

Terra rolled over and picked up the soaked pillow. She wiped her eyes and unsteadily walked towards the window, opening it for some fresh air to hopefully knock some sense into her. She had always been a big nature girl, which was no big surprise due to her powers.

Baby blue eyes squinted into the downpour. The clouds were a mass of toiling black and zigzags of lightning flashed every now and then. Waves splashed onto the island, spraying up black water. Terra slid the window shut as she heard a knock on her door.

"Terra?" Beastboy's voice called. "Can I come in?"

Terra froze and swallowed. "Um…okay." She felt a thrill of something—dread? love?—as Beastboy stepped into the room. He stood near the door, shifting awkwardly.

She stepped forward and words slipped out of her mouth, words that sounded like they were coming from someone else. "Beastboy, tell me the truth…"

"Look, dude, this is probably going to sound really mean and inconsiderate, but," Beastboy blurted out, speaking quickly, "I didn't…in Upper Lamumba…what I mean is, I didn't mean to…"

"You mean you didn't mean it?" Terra said softly. She had known all along, she supposed. She had just been denying it, refusing to believe the inevitable.

He nodded meekly. "I'm sorry. I was confused."

One thing still bothered her. "When we went out to the amusement park…"

"I liked you then," Beastboy said ruefully, trying to ignore her despondent and heartbroken expression. "But that was a long time ago, Terra…. I'm sorry it couldn't work out." He held out something he had been holding behind his back.

Terra took the small object. It was the heart shaped box, a bit dusty but still beautiful and in tact. She opened it. The mirror inside had a zigzagging hairline crack. The blonde looked up. Beastboy gave her one last repentant look and left, closing the door softly.

Terra's fingers ran over the smooth surface of the box. She headed towards the window again and opened it. Terra leaned out, her blonde hair swishing forward. Rain slid down her face, but she ignored this. She held out the box, still slightly warm from Beastboy's grip. Terra closed her eyes briefly and reopened them. She released her tight grip with a pang of regret and it fell just as a loud boom of thunder coursed through the sky. She slid the window closed.

* * *

Slade caught the box and smirked. He slipped away, unseen.

* * *

Raven's eyes flickered over the barren, desolate ground through the window. There was little vegetation and small ravens cawed gently, hopping from place to place. Their eyes no longer glowed the red of Trigon, but the white of pure good. This was another sign that Trigon had truly perished, as Raven was starting to really believe. 

"Raven?"

Raven turned around, cloak swishing behind her. She locked eyes with a young woman, twenty years old. She had long, silky black hair that cascaded gently down to her waist, gleaming gently in the dim lighting of the palace. Her eyes were black as night in Azarath and her facial features were delicate. She had a petite little nose and small, pale lips and an equally pale face. Her dress was a rich ruby red, braided with bits of gold. It swished and sparkled as Azara approached Raven.

"Have you seen the battlefield?" Azara asked.

"No," Raven's face remained stoic. Her gray lips barely moved. "Should I?"

Azara bit her small lip apprehensively. Trigon's daughter was younger than her, yet she already seemed much more mature and frightening than Azara could ever be. Not that she wanted to be frightening, but still—it was impressive. Her mother had been like this, everyone told her. Azara couldn't seem to master stoicism, no matter how hard she tried. "I suppose. Follow me, then."  
Raven floated after her gently, watching her black hair flap gently behind her as she walked. It reminded her of Starfire's thick hair, flapping the same way when she twirled happily in Titans Tower, bubbling with good cheer. The thought of Starfire made Raven feel a pang in her chest and she wondered if she would get to see her.

Azara stepped out of the cavernous palace doors, her red and gold dress looking extremely bright next to the dull brown of the soil outside. A small raven hopped to her feet and she picked it up, petting its smooth, sleek feathers. She kept it with her all the fifteen minutes the two walked (or flew) in silence. Finally, they reached the bloodied battlefield.

Blood stained the dirt a dark, menacing red. Bits of purple cloth and iron from Tamaranian armors and red and black from Azarath's armors littered the ground. Dead bodies were tossed helter-skelter and a strong scent of rotten flesh rose into the air. So many bodies…

Raven turned her head away, stomach churning. She backed away, grimacing at the bloody soil beneath her. She closed her eyes.

"We must make peace immediately," Azara said, her quiet voice snaking into Raven's ears. "Do you know how?"

"May I see the Tamaranian queen?" Raven asked, reopening her eyes. She studied the black sky, where the only light came from the dots that were planets: Earth, Tamaran, Mars…. She wondered which was Earth.

"I'm afraid not. The Tamaranians are fiercely protective of their queen and will not let her step foot on Azarath for fear of her safety. In fact, they do not even let any outsiders touch her."

Raven berated herself for not remembering. How could she meet with Starfire? Maybe she could meet in secret? How could she contact Starfire to tell her, then? What was this stupid war about anyway? This wasn't going very well.

"What is this war about?" Raven asked, watching the raven hop off Azara's shoulder. Its glossy feathers shined as it flew over to Raven, who waved it away. Its eyes glowed dark red and it let out a croak. Raven narrowed her eyes at it and it started pecking at a dead body. Raven felt like throwing up as she kicked it off the body.

Azara's dark eyes glowed scarlet and the aura around her changed, as if she was suddenly turning evil. Raven stepped back and tried to reach for Azara's mind to see what was going on. Azara raised a hand, red energy pulsating around it. The red beam of energy shot at Raven and she was knocked off her feet…

* * *

It was two weeks after Raven left. 

Terra put the last item in her pack and zipped it closed. She slung it over her shoulder and whispered a good-bye to Titans Tower and Beastboy. The note was pinned neatly to her bed. With one last look, Terra jumped out the window onto a waiting rock in the rain.

"Running away again," She sighed to herself. But why stay? Speaking with Beastboy was gauche, Robin avoided her, and Cyborg was always out. Terra put up her hood and looked back again and flew away.

* * *

_Beastboy, Cyborg, and Robin—_

_If you're reading this, you probably already know. I'm quitting the Teen Titans and heading east to try and cope by myself. Sorry guys, but there's really no point in my staying. I'm more a nuisance than a help._

_Thanks for all the good times,_

_Terra_

Beastboy reread the note slowly. Three Titans were gone. He glanced outside. The rain had slowly been lessening after Raven's departure. What if Slade chose to attack? They probably couldn't defeat him on their own.

He thought about what to do. He had to tell Robin and Cyborg, and probably Titans East. But maybe he should go after Terra and changed her mind. He knew Cyborg probably had her bugged. However, if Terra really wanted to leave…then again, maybe he just didn't want her around for obvious reasons. Beastboy fingered the note thoughtfully.

* * *

Terra considered throwing the photo away. It wasn't as if she couldn't buy another of the same thing off eBay if she suddenly missed it. It was just another picture of the Teen Titans: Robin was in the front, bo staff out and his eyes narrowed. Then there was Cyborg, his cannon activated at his side. Raven floated in the air, her famous black raven rising menacingly behind her. Starfire floated next to her, eyes lit up and green orbs of light around her fists. Beastboy was in mid-transformation to a tiger and she stood above him on a rock, hands glowing yellow. The picture was taken by some obsessed fan that had run around stalking them with a camera for a few days before Robin got annoyed and had a little talk with the fan, who never came back again. She traced the cheap wooden frame with her finger. The blonde had desperately hoped that he liked her back the whole time she had been back from the volcano eruption, thanks to Robin's hydrochloric acid-nitric acid-deuterium-Windex solution. Those hopes hadn't completely shattered even when he kissed Raven, but after that talk, the hopes broke like thin glass that stabbed her heart with their sharp edges. Terra nearly dropped the picture when someone knocked on her hotel door (even though it might not be legal for her to stay in a hotel at her age…). 

She opened the door cautiously. Who would be knocking at her door when no one knew that the Titans' newest member was staying at the Hilton? Terra hadn't even caught a glimpse of the person's face before she knocked her out.

* * *

"Cyborg!" Beastboy pounded on his metal door, irritation rising in him. He had to break the news about Terra to the others. Beastboy had started to search for Cyborg, starting with calling Jinx, who hadn't seen him. He had searched all over the tower and fervently hoped that Cyborg had somehow managed to get in his room while he was searching other areas. Beastboy finally just opened the door to find it empty. He flipped open his communicator, but there was no response. 

Beastboy took a deep breath to keep from screaming in frustration. The girl he loved was currently fighting his teammate's soldiers, his former crush had run away, his leader was going insane in the training room, and now his best friend was lost.

The sound of a bird cawing reached Beastboy's ears. He turned around and saw a small, dark raven on the floor. Fear raced through him as he saw the burning red and yellow symbol on its head. It was the symbol that had been on Slade's forehead when he first came back. It hopped down the hallway and Beastboy followed it, wondering if he was going into a trap. It lead him into the main room and he staggered back when he saw it.

The rich red carpet had been melted into a flowing dark blue river, fast and furious. The couches had disappeared, along with the tables and counters of the kitchen and the huge windows. The river emptied out where the windows used to be in a huge waterfall, foam spraying everywhere. What horrified Beastboy most was the small boat flowing down the river and who was in it. Inside the boat, his parents and teammates tried to stop the boat, but to no avail. Their screams were hardly heard over the roaring of the river that had suddenly appeared in Titans Tower. Beastboy ran forward with a yell, fear pumping through him, but it was too late—the boat toppled over the side of the waterfall and landed on the rocky island floor, splintering into pieces and flattening the bodies. The site was gruesome. If Beastboy had stopped and thought about it, the whole thing didn't make sense. A river randomly placed in Titans Tower? Besides, his teammates could easily get the boat out of the river with Raven's powers, not to mention the fact that Starfire could fly and Robin too, with his hang-glider cape thing. However, Beastboy's common sense had flowed right out of Titans Tower along with that boat.

In his delirious state, the green-skinned teen didn't notice the woman who walked right up behind him, her olive green cape flapping. She smirked at his masculine figure, her hate for men rising up inside her. Phobia tapped his shoulder and he turned around, surprise written all over his face before he got knocked out.

Phobia smiled and took out a piece of white paper and a pen.

* * *

Robin noticed the rain had stopped a second before a faint yell reached his ears. He raced to the main room and stopped, confused. The room was empty. He could have sworn he heard Beastboy yell. Was he hearing things now? 

"Beastboy? Cyborg?" Robin called out. He looked around and spotted a white piece of paper. The Titans leader went over to it. Written on the paper in Beastboy's nearly illegible scrawl was this:

_Robin—_

_I'm sick of you and your stupid obsessions with punching bags, Slade, and Windex. What kind of leader are you, anyway? Just because your girlfriend went to another planet, you spend a week in the training room, away from all other civilization. In fact, you haven't even noticed that Terra ran away a week ago and that Cyborg quit the Titans to live with Jinx. I stuck around for a few days to try and tell you, but you just ignored me. You probably didn't even hear me. So, since you obviously don't care about your team anymore, I'm writing this note to tell you that I quit and that you have no team._

_Garfield Logan (formerly Beastboy)_

Robin stepped back, stunned. He had noticed Beastboy coming into the training room a couple of times and talking, but he hadn't really listened. Because of him not being there to pull the team together, his team had fallen apart in less than two months. Robin was so distressed he didn't bother to check the note to see if Beastboy had really written it…

* * *

Starfire was frustrated. No matter how much she wheedled or whined, Galfore could not be cajoled into letting her go to Azarath to see Raven. 

"It is too dangerous, princess," He had insisted. "Even if she was your former teammate and does not wish to harm you, the people of Azarath would not let you near her."

Though his words were true, Starfire was insistent on at least trying to contact Raven. Galfore was becoming more and more eccentric these days, denying many of her requests and not even telling her what the ridiculous war was about. In fact, no one would tell her.

"Galfore…" Starfire began. She stopped in surprise. Something wasn't right about her beloved Galfore. The princess squinted in bewilderment. With a shock, she realized what the problem was. "Galfore, where has the scar on your right eye gone?"

Galfore's image shimmered. His massive body shrank, his orange hair grew short, and his face changed. Starfire watched in horror and confusion as his hair ended right below his ears and reddened and his skin tone lightened to almost white. Galfore's clothes shrank along with his body and Starfire found herself staring at Shimmer, standing with a smirk in Galfore's armor.

Immediately, Starfire's eyes glowed green, starbolts forming at her fists. "What are you doing here?" She demanded, anger at Shimmer and fear for Galfore flooding through her.

"I'm here to capture you," Shimmer said nonchalantly and aimed a cylindrical tube at Starfire. A black and red jet of energy shot out of it and before Starfire knew what was happening, the beam hit her and blackness swirled around her.

* * *

Robin looked back at Titans Island as he sped toward the shore in a small speedboat left over from way back when Cyborg hadn't built any vehicles. The waves lapped at the rocky shore sorrowfully, seagulls sitting on the rocks and squawking their farewells. Titans Tower stood, silhouetted against the gray sky, looking lonesome with all its lights turned off. 

Dick Grayson was dressed in normal clothes—a gray sweater and jeans. By his side was a black Jansport, filled with his laptop, wallet, his toothbrush and toothpaste, and a few changes of clothes. In his hand was his weathered yellow communicator. As the boat bobbed over the waves, his hand dangled over the side of the boat, the communicator inches above the blue gray water. Robin took a deep breath and dropped it, turning forward and not bothering to look back or watch the murky water devour the communicator.

Of course, Robin had regrets and would miss the Titans. However, he would have to move on. He couldn't deny the fact that his team had fallen apart.

Besides, he really liked Windex.

* * *

The tabloids went wild. 

THE TEEN TITANS: GONE? Screamed the headline of one newspaper article.

WHERE ARE THE PROTECTORS OF OUR CITY? Shouted another.

Everywhere, people talked about the abandoned Titans Tower. Titans East was bombarded with questions about the west team. Jinx was going crazy worrying over Cyborg. Everyone searched for the famous teens, but not a trace of them was to be found. The police even searched Titans Tower, finding nothing in all the rooms except a typed message taped to the front door which said: THE TEEN TITANS HAVE DISBANDED.

Criminals took advantage of this. Jewels were stolen and banks emptied as the police found themselves flooded with crimes. Strangely, no criminals with powers, such as Mad Mod, Mumbo, or Dr. Light, attacked.

Some people assumed the Titans were on a vacation. Others thought they had gotten sick of fighting and moved somewhere else to try and lead a normal life. A lot of people thought they were hiding as a sick joke. After awhile, though, people could no longer deny it…

The Teen Titans no longer existed.

* * *

Yes, it's true... 

**I FINALLY UPDATED! **

Sorry about the wait. I had this Spanish project and then this suffragists project and all these prealgebra tests and middle school placement tests and we're learning about the periodic table and atoms and stuff which is sooo boring and confusing...and someone I know had to go to the hospital (they're fine) and I've been really busy...therefore I didn't update. :P

neoflameYeah I know it's confusing...it's like all in my mind and sometimes I forget if I wrote what I'm thinking down or not. xD

WandaCarlaI'll check it out. ;)

KimiEh. Oh well. xP

MarukenPsht, the whole Arella thing just confuses me. **And to clear things up if it's still fuzzy, the letter Star got from Azarath said Raven was the new leader.**

Veral42Oh, I'm just planning to kill off Raven and Beastboy...maybe Terra, Robin, Star and Cyborg while I'm at it. ;) No, just kidding:D

Pain and TearsSprinkles. Mm. -chomps- You don't have to do that much...just when you read a good fic, click add to c2 community. :P **And if you can't find the email, log in and click on C2 Staff on the left side.**

drewmasterOkay, I'll look at it.

ultraviolet4everPfft, I keep up by making lots of horizontel line things. xD MARSHMALLO!

quite-a-shameThe villains come from the Teen Titans comic books. I got them from :)

Since I'm feeling lazy...to everyone that I didn't mention in the above replies, THANK YOU! Don't feel left out, I just don't feel like rewriting Thanks a million times. ;P

Lilyyyy


	6. A New Life

**A/N: It's been three years since I updated this story, which started with ****Yin and Yang****. I wrote them both in 2005, when I was eleven or twelve, and I probably lied about my age somewhere in these author notes so that people wouldn't underestimate me. So, recently I rediscovered this story, and I was shocked that someone had actually reviewed this recently in 2008. It's summer, I'm bored, I recently rewatched Teen Titans for the first time in years, and I figured I'd just finish up this story. Anyway, that was just a head's up; my writing style may have changed, maybe for the worse, maybe for the better, but uh, I hope you enjoy it anyway. :) Also, I did some research and I planned out this story before Season 5 aired, and I wrote Yin and Yang before the "Haunted" episode, so the continuum might not make sense with the series as it is now. Ironically, I wrote about Titans East before they even showed up in the actual TV series. I watched the rest of the series online recently, so though this story is set before Season 5, there may be influences from the rest of the series. Basically, I'm trying to warn you guys that some of the events in this fanfiction may be contradictory to the television show. Onto the story!**

**Chapter 6: A New Life**

_Hope you remember me,  
when you're homesick and need a change.  
I miss your purple hair;  
I miss the way you taste._

_I know you'll come back someday,  
on a bed of nails awake.  
I'm praying that you don't burn out,  
or fade away._

_All we are is all so far…_

_You're falling back to me,  
the star that I can't see.  
I know you're out there,  
somewhere out there._

**"Somewhere Out There****," Our Lady Peace**

Consciousness embraced Garfield Logan slowly. The first thing he could feel was the warmth. It enveloped him, a comforting sensation that encouraged him to gradually come about to the waking world. The next thing he sensed was the fresh scent of newly laundered sheets greeting him. His head rested on a soft surface—a pillow? He allowed his eyes to open slightly, his field of vision just tiny slits between his eyelashes. Something was wrong, terribly wrong…and yet, Gar's heart seemed to be filled with contentment. He opened his eyes completely, eyes falling on the white ceiling above him. Carefully, he looked from side to side, taking in his surroundings cautiously, as someone had once instructed him to do if he ever woke up in an undetermined location…who told him that? Gar tried to grasp on the memory, but it slipped away from him swiftly like sand sifting through his fingers. He gave up and concentrated on the room.

His head rested on, as suspected, a fluffy white pillow, very soft and comfortable. He seemed to be on a bed, a plain navy comforter pulled over his body. The teen was in a bedroom. Kind of a boring room, Gar decided in his head. The bed had a light oak frame, the walls whitewashed and nearly bare, his side table also oak and with nothing on it but a simple unlit lamp. Dust motes swayed in the golden light pouring into the small room from a colorless window the size of half a door. Birdsong touched Garfield's ears, the melodious chirping coming from the window. It was peaceful in the room, but still, something was wrong…very wrong…but what?

With a panicked jerking motion, the boy yanked off his comforter and leapt to his feet, eyes wide. He had just realized what it was that was bothering him. His clothes had changed—he was wearing baggy, faded jeans, artfully ripped. His shirt was a dull gray and—Garfield raised his eyebrows at this—said ABERCROMBIE in dark gray felt. He had no shoes on. It wasn't a particularly unusual outfit, even if it wasn't his, and the clothes were by no means what had panicked the teen. What had made his heart jump, in happiness or distress he wasn't sure, was his skin tone. He looked down at his bare arms, and they looked almost the same: muscular, lined with a few scars, smooth skin—smooth, peach colored skin. His hand leapt to his ears. Smooth, rounded ears; they were normal ears. His eyes cast around for a mirror and found one hung above the bed. Garfield's face was still the same—large, frightened jade eyes, small nose, and a slightly long mouth. However, the cute little fang was gone along with his green skin. Garfield found a normal sixteen-year-old face staring back at him with shock.

Terrified, he tried to soothe himself by turning into something—anything would do, even a maggot, as long as he could still transform. Garfield braced himself for the usual swooping sensation, the growing of fur or a tail, the widening of his body…. Nothing happened. Taking a deep breath, he concentrated on turning into a dog. Biting his lip with effort, he squeezed his eyes shut and tried his hardest…but to no avail, for nothing changed.

Then, just as suddenly as the panic had come, it left quickly. The fear was a mere memory, already locking itself into a forgotten closet inside his brain. Why did I panic? Garfield thought to himself reasonably. Of course I'm Caucasian. Of course I can't change into animals...and why would I have a fang?

Plopping down on the bed, he furrowed his eyebrows and tried to recall the dream he had that night. He couldn't remember much, just white-hot, blinding fear, and then darkness…and a girl with purple hair…a skyline of towering skyscrapers above a sparkling ocean….

Garfield's stomach rumbled.

"Whatever, screw the dream," Gar said out loud, crossing the short distance to the wooden door and turning the carefully polished silver doorknob. The hallway he stepped into was small, with white walls and the same wooden floor as in his room. All there was were two other doors, identical to the door to his bedroom, and a wooden stairway covered with a thin dark green carpet that hugged the steps closely. Breakfast smells were coming from down the stairs, and naturally, as any healthy teenage boy would do, Garfield obeyed his rumbling stomach and followed the smells down the stairs and into a kitchen.

"Good morning, sweetie!" A female trilled from where she was standing, frying eggs in a black pan. She was plump, with rhubarb cheeks, and was wearing a red housedress with a ridiculously large matching hat and an apron. For some reason, Garfield felt a stab of irritation at the sight of the friendly, short woman in front of him.

"Aren't you going to say good morning to your mooooother?" The woman sang in an obnoxiously chipper voice. A flood of oddly unfamiliar memories flowed through Garfield's mind: his mother sending him off tearfully to his first day of school, his mother clapping for him at his middle school graduation, his mother loving and caring for him for every moment of his sixteen years…

"Good morning, Mom," Garfield said obediently, sliding into a place at a wooden dining table. "Hey, Dad."

His dad looked up from behind the newspaper he was reading, smirking. "Hello, Be—I mean, Garfield."

Garfield looked at him questioningly. His father had slanting thick black eyebrows, gray eyes, short black hair, and looked pretty young for a father of a teenager. Vaguely, Gar wondered where his green eyes and brown hair came from. "Hey, what's with the face? What'd I do this time?"

His dad wiped the smirk off his face and replaced it with a grimace that was probably supposed to be a loving smile. "Nothing, son. Eat your breakfast."

Gar looked down at his plate. It was white with a border of blushing pink flowers…and it was covered in greasy, steaming bacon. He blinked in surprise as his mother bustled over and slid four sunny-side-up eggs on top of the bacon. Suddenly he wasn't hungry anymore.

"What's wrong, honey?" His mother crooned, stroking his tousled brown hair. "Why aren't you eating?"

"What, are you becoming vegetarian now?" His father added in a contemptuous tone. "Is my son becoming a wuss?"  
Gar shrugged. "I don't know, I'm just not hungry. I think I'll just head to school…"

A few minutes later, Garfield was walking out the door with a backpack slung over one shoulder.

"Have fun, dear! Study hard!" His mother chirped from the front door, waving merrily. Gar smiled and nodded, and began to walk away.

The suburbs Gar lived in contained identical yellow houses, each with tiny manicured lawns and neatly paved driveways. He felt in a daze, as if he hadn't walked this way every weekday morning for the past two years that he'd been in high school. Everything seemed familiar, welcoming, happy—this was his life, wasn't it? And yet, strange memories, darker memories, loomed in his mind, always there, but unreachable…a giant tower…purple hair….

* * *

When Starfire awoke, she noted that there was good news and bad news. The good news was that Raven was next to her, cross-legged and meditating as usual. The bad news was that they were both in cages made by steaming blue lasers, each one placed on metal platforms raised about three inches off the metal ground.

"Hey, Star," Raven said calmly, not opening her eyes. "Welcome to imprisonment."

Starfire looked around frantically. The cages were in the middle of a high tech criminal lair, all metal and coldness. They were surrounded by beeping computers and empty laser cages identical to theirs. "Friend Raven, although I am glad to see you, I must admit I do not like our current location…"

"I don't either," Raven replied flatly. "We've been captured by Slade, Shimmer, and Madam Rouge… Shimmer was pretending to be Galfore, and Madam Rouge was impersonating Azara."

"I see…" Starfire said slowly. "But why would they…"

"Because, my dear," a dark, horribly familiar voice said smugly from the shadows, "I am planning to take over the universe."

Both girls turned toward the sound, Raven dropping from her meditative state. Slade emerged from a dark corner of the room, his arms crossed and his cold black eyes staring satisfactorily at the girls.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Raven asked, her tone dripping with contempt. Neither Titan showed any sign of fear as they stared him down grimly.

"I suppose you want to hear my secret plan now," Slade said confidently. "Very well. I'll tell you. First, you must know that your beloved Titans have all fallen."

Starfire gasped, remembering the horrible future she had seen as a result of Warp. Raven did not react, but merely continued to stare stonily at Slade.

"It was too easy," Slade said slowly, a smile in his voice. "Too, too easy, my dears. They did it all by themselves. I never imagined your team would fall apart so effortlessly."

"The Teen Titans would never fall apart!" Starfire insisted vehemently, her eyes lighting up with terrifying electric green power. "You are lying, Slade! What have you done to my friends?"

"Oh, they are quite happy. I captured them all individually, you see. First Terra, after she ran away. Then Cyborg, while he was out in the city. Beast Boy was by far the most difficult; I had to bring in Phobia to get him weak enough to capture. Robin was the easiest. Without his little team, Robin is nothing but a weakling, an ordinary teenager. He was ambushed and captured in the city."

"Where are they?" Starfire demanded. "I will not let you hurt my friends!"

"Oh, they are far from hurt, my little alien," Slade drawled. "You see, my new ally Phobia not only has the power to evoke deep fears, but to alter the mind in other ways as well. Tara, Victor, Richard, and Garfield are convinced that they are normal teenagers…attending normal high schools…with normal families. They are happier than being a superhero could ever make them. Nothing troubles them."

While Starfire and Raven digested this bit of information with shock and dismay, Slade turned to one of the giant computers in the room and brought up several pictures. He flicked through them slowly as he spoke.

"Tara, formerly known as Terra, is a gifted junior attending a private school," Slade narrated. The picture on the screen was of Terra in a school uniform, smiling and posing with two friends. "She is extremely interested in earth sciences and geology, and is about to be honored with a tempting geologist job offer with a wealthy company called Slade Enterprises."

He flicked to the next picture. It was of Cyborg, without all his robotic parts, running with a football in a football uniform and grinning wildly. "Victor is an excellent athlete and talented student, maintaining top grades in math and science courses while playing as the star quarterback of his school team. He is going to be offered a job as a scientist at Slade Enterprises."

The next picture was of Beastboy, without the green skin, hair, or fangs. He was smiling goofily at the camera, his arms wrapped around two pretty girls, and more girls surrounded him on all sides, all giggling and smiling at the camera. Raven's chest suddenly ached. "Garfield is a ladies' man, also extremely gifted academically, yet still popular. He is about to be offered a job as a head zoologist, also at Slade Enterprises."

"Last, but certainly not least, is Richard." A picture of Robin without his mask on appeared on the screen, his blue eyes shining. He was seated at a table in what appeared to be a library, looking up from a large research book as if he had just been interrupted. "Rich, or Dick, as his friends call him, is a studious young man who studies both books and kung fu. He prefers to be alone, and is already working for Slade Enterprises as a researcher. Conveniently, these four teenagers live fifteen minutes from this building, although they do not live near each other and are completely unaware of each other's existence… That, however, is about to change."

"Why are you doing this?" Raven demanded. "What's the point?"

"The point is…" Slade drew out the pause dramatically. "They will all be here tomorrow for work, and you two are going to hurt them badly."

"We will never hurt them!" Starfire vowed. "Never!"

"You can't control us," Raven said steadily. "We're not human. We don't have human minds. That's why you faked this war between our planets, to get us out of the way and off Earth."

"Very clever, Raven," Slade said approvingly. "Yes, you are completely correct. You and Starfire are aliens, freaks, non-human…uncontrollable, wild, strange. No one knows how you work…in fact, you might even be evil! Ordinary humans would be frightened of you… Therefore—"

A ring from the computer interrupted Slade. The screen read: GARFIELD LOGAN IS NOW CALLING. Slade chuckled to himself. "Your little green friend is ringing in, girls. Watch carefully. He can't see us, but we can see him." Slade stepped towards the computer and pressed a key to accept the video call.

"Hey, Mr. Slade?" Beastboy's face filled the screen, his green eyes confused. "Um, I got to school and the principal said you wanted to do a webcam interview? But, uh, I can't really see you…like at all."

"That's quite all right," Slade reassured Garfield, speaking into a microphone.

"BEASTBOY! DO NOT LISTEN TO HIM! REMEMEBER WHO YOU TRULY ARE!" Starfire screamed. "BEASTBOY!"

"Uh, is there someone like, screaming in the background?" Gar asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Don't worry about it," Slade said smoothly. He held the microphone at arm's length and turned towards the captured Titans. "Don't even try that, Starfire. I'm afraid it won't work. This microphone works in a very small range." He brought the mike up to his mouth. "Garfield, I am about to offer you a very good job. Do you like animals?"

"Sure, I love animals!" Beastboy smiled his signature grin, though missing the fang. He was still looking blindly at the screen, though he could not see Slade. "But uh, I don't really wanna work…no offense, dude. Not till I'm graduated from college, anyway."

"Three thousand dollars a week, Garfield, and only four hours a day, six hours on Saturdays, no work on Sunday."

"Dude!" Garfield's eyes widened. "What is that, like, one hundred fifteen dollars an hour? One hundred fifteen and thirty-nine cents per hour?"

"Yes, Garfield. Your principal tells me you are the best student in school, and I can tell. That was very fast math, I'm impressed. However…this job has to do with researching animals, with a lot of biology and zoology involved. We only need you for a month."

"That sounds cool…okay, you got me man. I'll be a good employee, though I have no idea why you'd want me." He laughed sheepishly. "When does work start?"

"Today."

"Oh…okay. It's in that giant Slade building, right? Next to McDonalds?"

"Yes, Garfield. I will see you in a few hours. Goodbye." Slade pressed a button and hung up on Beastboy, who had already opened his mouth to reply.

"I still don't see how this is going to help you take over the universe," Raven said coldly.

"Ah, yes… You will see soon enough. By the way, have I mentioned that everyone on both of your planets has been killed?"'

* * *

Victor Stone was thrilled with his new job. He had just met his coworkers a few minutes ago, and his boss, Mr. Slade, had given then fifteen minutes in the dining hall for them to "get to know each other" and ensure "optimal performance by cooperation." He got to do what he did and loved best: messing with technology, and the best part was that he got paid three thousand dollars a week for it! Granted, it was alien technology that he was messing with, but that was ok, it was still fun. Mr. Slade had discovered two strange aliens, and had captured them for closer study. Apparently, they were "wreaking havoc to innocent civilians" and "freakish things from space," according to Mr. Slade. Mr. Slade had hired three other teenager workers, for a "fresh new perspective," and hundreds of other adult workers. Vic liked Mr. Slade's idea of hiring intelligent teenagers; it seemed pretty smart of him to make sure he had all sorts of perspectives on the mystery of those aliens. Supposedly, Victor would get to see them in person later.

Another sweet part of his new job were that his teenage coworkers were _awesome_! One of them was the cutest blonde he had ever seen, with large blue eyes lightly dusted with sparkly gold eyeshadow, and a tattoo of a seahorse on her ankle. She had her hair cut in that bob style that was so fashionable these days, and cute pouty lips…but the thing that drove Vic crazy was the eyeshadow, sparkling and winking at him whenever she looked his way. The other guys, Richard and Garfield, were pretty cool, though Vic wondered what kind of a name _Garfield_ was supposed to be. Garfield seemed preppy, but funny, and Richard was a little on the serious side, but he figured he'd get to know them better soon enough.

"Hey, Vic," Gar said quietly to him, grinning slightly. "Don't you think Mr. Slade is a little bit of a creeper? He's got this whole place wired, so be quiet, but he seems weird to me."

Over the chatter of the hundreds of other workers getting to know each other, Vic could hardly hear his friend, but he muttered back, "I know what you mean, man. His eyes are so freakin' weird!"

Mr. Slade always wore a black suit, and had the strangest face. It always seemed as if one side was _darker_ than the other, as if he had tanned with only one side of his face. He had the creepiest black eyes that could make any small child cry, but he always smiled when he saw his teenage workers.

"You guys aren't being very good at keeping quiet," Tara commented from next to Gar. She smiled at Vic, the gold eyeshadow twinkling in the fluorescent lights of the Slade Enterprises building.

"Hey, guess what," Rich said suddenly. The other three looked at him questioningly; Rich didn't speak much, but he was nice enough. "We've got guns."

They all turned to look towards the door, where Mr. Slade was walking in, holding four small handguns. The chatter died down slowly as he approached the four teenagers. Clearly, the guns were for them.

"You four," Mr. Slade said with a smile, "are the only ones lucky enough to get to see the aliens close up. I treasure youths, and their strength and eagerness, so you get the guns, just in case they do anything."

He handed out the guns and quickly showed them how to operate it; it was simple, all they had to do was pull the trigger. The guns shot out a bright red laser that Mr. Slade said was very deadly. With that, Mr. Slade left again.

"Sick!" Gar exclaimed, examining his gun with delight. "Now I feel like a real BA!"

Meanwhile, Richard was staring at one of the older coworkers. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

The coworker leered at him with yellow teeth. He was fat, with long red hair, the kind of messy middle aged guy that looked like he still lived with this mother. "No, you, young _ordinary _boy, do not know me!"

"O…kay…" Richard said slowly, raising his eyebrows at the man's dramatic reply. Something in his brain stirred, and for some reason the words _"control freak"_ rose to his mind. However, Rich reminded himself not to judge people based on appearance and dismissed the words from his head.

* * *

Later that day, the four teenagers had a snack at McDonalds after work. They sat in the back of Tara's surprisingly boyish truck, eating McFlurries and chatting. Her car radio was playing quietly in the background, a song none of them knew.

"I still can't believe we get paid this much!" Gar said eagerly. "And honestly, we hardly did anything today. I don't know about you, but all I did today was research random stuff."

"Same here," Tara agreed. "Tomorrow we get to actually work on the aliens, though. You'd think there'd be something about it on the news, finding aliens."

"Maybe there is," Vic said, leaning in through the car window to change the station. He settled on a news station and turned it up.

"The _famous_, original TEEN TITANS are still missing!" The announcer said dramatically.

"That sounds familiar…" Rich mumbled.

"I haven't ever heard of the _famous_ TEEN TITANS!" Gar said, mocking the announcer's voice.

"With two of its members _off_ in _space_, the _Titans_ began to _disappear_ from the public eye," The voice continued. "The _new_ member, the earth-morphing _Terra_, supposedly _quit_, according to _inside_ information. _Due_ to the recent _lack _of _criminal activity_, the _remaining_ three _Titans_ did not _venture_ outside their _tower_ often. _Cyborg _and _Beastboy_ were seen _occasionally_, but _Robin_ hasn't been spotted in _two months_! Last week, the _mayor_ discovered that _Titans__ Tower_ was _empty_ when he went to _visit _them and _honor_ them by _announcing_ a new _holiday_ called _Titans Day._ _However_, _no one _was _there_! The _Justice League_ insists that they have _no idea_ where the young _Teen Titans_ are, and _suggest_ that they may be taking a _well-earned_ vacation due to the _low crime rates_. _However_, an insider who _says_ she knows the Titans well _insists_ that something is _wrong_¸and—"

"Please shut that thing up before I puke," Tara moaned. "What an _annoying_ way of _speaking_!"

The others laughed, and Victor shut off the radio. They spent another carefree hour talking, laughing, and becoming friends before heading home to do homework. As far as these four were concerned, their lives were fine. Perfect, even. The problems of some strange superheroes in a city hundreds of miles away did not concern them. As they say, ignorance is bliss, and the four teenagers in the dark green truck must've been ignorant to the point of idiocy, for they believed that their lives were as blissful as any teenager's life could possibly get.


	7. Do You Remember Now?

**A/N: Hey, could you do me a favor and review if you're reading this? I just want to know if anyone's still reading this fic. You don't have to say anything about the story, I just want at least one review so that I know people are still looking at this. Thanks!**

**Chapter 7: Do You Remember Now?  
**

_To be hurt,  
To feel lost,  
To be left out in the dark,  
To be kicked when you're down,  
To feel like you've been pushed around,  
To be on the edge of breaking down,  
And no one's there to save you.  
No you don't know what it's like…  
Welcome to my life._

"**Welcome to my Life," Simple Plan**

It was hours before Starfire stopped crying. Raven, of course, did not show any sign of emotion, and Starfire noticed.

"Raven…" She said in her high, innocent voice.

"Yes, Starfire?" Raven cracked one eye open to look at her, but did not stop meditating.

"Why do you not show sadness at the death of your people?"

Raven closed the eye and let out a slow breath. "They…weren't really my people, Starfire. But just because I'm not crying doesn't mean I don't feel sadness."

"I see," Starfire said quietly. She stood, looking around the room through the blue bars of her cage. "Do you think it is true, what Slade said, that no one will be able to understand our speaking outside of these cages?"

"I don't see why he would lie," Raven responded. "These bars must be really advanced technology to do that, though. They even keep us from using our powers while we're inside, so I'd say he could do the language thing."

"But we must find a way to es—" Starfire began, but at that moment, Slade walked into the room, followed by Garfield, Richard, and Victor. Starfire gasped at the sight of the boys in normal clothing, and at Beastboy's and Cyborg's normal appearances. The girls noted that Slade had somehow managed to get a holograph generator to cover his mask and usual outfit. He was wearing a black suit, and black eyes that did not seem to truly be his glared at the girls.

"Here they are," Slade announced, brandishing towards the two cages where Raven and Starfire sat. "Peculiar, are they not? I'd like you to simply observe them for now. Victor, I will need you to investigate their technology; Richard, I need you to look through history and see if we have ever interacted with these creatures; Garfield, you get to study them up close and see what they're made of. I'll leave you here for about half an hour and I'll come back later."

"Sounds cool," Garfield said happily. The other two nodded, and Slade exited. Gar knelt by Starfire's cage, staring straight into her large green eyes, tinged with red from crying. "This one's kinda cute, in a freaky alien way."

Starfire shrieked at him immediately. "Beastboy! Do you not recognize your fellow teammates?" However, all that came out through the bars of the cage were harsh screams and unidentifiable gargles.

"Dude, they have such a nasty way of communicating," Gar commented, wincing.

"I wonder if they understand what's happening," Vic said, staring at Raven, who had stood up to glare at him silently.

"Probably not," Rich said, crossing his arms. "They look kind of primitive. What are we supposed to do, just look at them?"

"I guess," Vic replied.

"Hey, don't complain, we're getting paid big money to basically hang around these things," Gar said, grinning. The other two laughed.

Suddenly, the bars for Starfire's cage disappeared with a hiss. Star stood there for a moment, confused, while the three boys stared at her in shock. Then, with three loud yells, the boys brought up their guns and pointed them at Starfire with shaking hands.

"Don't move!" Rich yelled hoarsely. "Vic, call for help. Garfield, keep an eye on the other cage."

"Ok, bossy," Vic said playfully, though his voice was shaking. He inched slowly towards the computer and the red panic button.

"Please, friends! Do not shoot! You must remember me!" Starfire said desperately, stepping off the platform.

Gar yelped. "It's doing that human brainwashing thing that Slade told us about! Can we shoot it?"

"On three," Richard commanded. "One, two…"

"Wait!" Starfire cried, as the three guns began to whine and light up. "Do not fire at me!" She shot green starbolts at the guns, knocking them out of the boys' hands. They spun away on the ground, smoking. Victor panicked and ran towards the computer, pressing the red button, and Richard ran towards Garfield, for Gar had collapsed on the ground, holding his hand and screaming.

"What the hell did that thing do?" Gar yelled, showing his hand to Richard. Starfire's bolt had accidentally brushed against his thumb slightly, and the spot where it touched had turned his skin green. The green began to rapidly spread all over his skin, blossoming from his hand to his arms to his chest and all over.

"Don't panic, Slade can fix it," Robin reassured Gar, though the panic was clear in his voice, and his eyes darted frantically towards Starfire, who was approaching them slowly, fear in her eyes as she gazed at Beastboy's transformation. "Oh my God, it's coming near us... Don't panic, don't panic…"

Garfield moaned as the green spread to his hair, and he clutched his mouth as a tiny fang grew in.

"Gar, your ears…" Rich said slowly, momentarily ignoring the approaching alien. "They're pointy…"

"She's turning me into a vampire!" Garfield screamed, grabbing his ears. "Oh God, I'm green everywhere! SOMEBODY HELP!"

"Beastboy, you are simply becoming yourself," Starfire said gently. Gar looked up towards her sharply, his eyes narrowing in hate.

"Get away from me, freak," Garfield spat. "I hope Slade kills you. Don't even try to communicate with me like you're some sort of civilized thing."

Victor, in the meantime, was repeatedly stabbing the red button. "WHY—ISN'T—ANYONE—COMING?" He yelled, his eyes scanning the room for a way to open the mechanical doors. "HELP!"

Suddenly, the bars to Raven's cage disappeared as well. She immediately flew over to Cyborg and touched his shoulder—a mistake.

"AAAAAH!" Vic yelled. The spot where Raven had touched him had turned to metal, and was rapidly beginning to spread as Gar's green hand was. "RICH, DON'T TOUCH THEM!"

Richard frantically backed away into a corner of the lab, shaking with fear. "What the hell! Vic, you're turning into—into some kind of robot!"

Starfire flew towards Robin, trying to calm him down. "Robin…Richard, it is merely us, Starfire and Raven. Do not fear us, friend!"

"GET AWAY!" Robin yelled, going into a kung fu pose with his arms spread out. "I know how to fight, alien! Don't touch me!"

Starfire did exactly the opposite, reaching towards him with a shaking hand and touching one of his outstretched hands. She had figured out that when she and Raven touched the other Titans, their powers would return to them. Obviously, nothing physical happened to Robin, who merely flinched and prepared to turn into either a green monster or a giant robot. Neither happened, though Rich recoiled with pain.

At that moment, Slade stepped into the room, followed by ten security guards decked out with gigantic guns. Immediately, Raven and Starfire were shot with lasers, and were rendered unconscious.

"We got here as fast as we could, and—" Slade paused, his eyes widening with fake shock as he saw Beastboy and Cyborg. "Oh, dear, what happened to you two?"

"I don't know, dude," Gar said, covering his face with his hands. "Can you fix it?"

"I'm…not sure," Slade admitted, carefully acting concerned as he stepped toward Gar and Vic. "Of course, we will try our hardest…perhaps this condition is only temporary."

Vic, in the meantime, was looking down at his newly robotic self. He muttered, "I hope I still have a—"

"Dick, has anything happened to you?" Slade inquired.

Rich looked up from Starfire's body, which he had been staring at and wondering why he felt a strange sadness at her unconsciousness. "No, I guess not."

"That's good. Garfield and Victor, follow me. We will have your conditions checked out, though I do have a favor to ask of all of you."

"Yeah?"

"Do not tell anyone of how this happened to you," Mr. Slade instructed. "You may tell them it was the aliens, but do not go into detail until we can further examine their powers. We do not want to misdiagnose the situation or frighten anyone, okay?"

"Okay," The three of them agreed uncertainly.

"Now, let's go to the lab to fix you two…"

* * *

Tara had, of course, heard of what happened to Vic and Gar. She hadn't personally seen them yet, and perhaps that is why she felt no fear or anger towards the aliens. She had simply heard that the aliens had somehow escaped their cages and attacked Vic and Gar. However, Mr. Slade had reassured everyone at Slade Enterprises that they had been recaptured, and that their cages were stronger than ever…and that is why Tara was sneaking in to see them. Getting into the room was easier than she had thought, and she currently stood right in front of Raven's cage.

"Hey buddy," Tara said cheerfully, peering at Raven. "Hey, are you crying? Aliens cry?"

Raven slowly raised her hand towards the bars.

"Oh, I guess you hate being cooped up," Tara said, making a face. "Well, that's what you get for ravaging humans, hm? But I guess you can't understand me. Slade wouldn't let me see you, you know. Said there was no reason, 'cause I just studied the soil and stuff from your planets."

One of Raven's fingers ventured outside the cage, hovering in the air.

"What are you, ET?" Tara teased. She raised her hand too, the pointer finger outstretched.

"'ET phone home,'" She quoted playfully, touching her finger with Raven's pale one. Suddenly, she felt a rush go through her, and a dull pain spread throughout her body. Tara jerked away, cradling he finger. "What the hell?"

Tara examined her finger, and the rest of her body, but could not find any injuries.

"Weird," she muttered. "Must be one of those weird alien things."

A few minutes later, Tara left after thoroughly examining both aliens, her curiosity sated.

* * *

Gar and Vic had it rough when they came home. Their parents wouldn't speak or go near them, fearing and hating their sons at the same time for being "freaks." Needless to say, they did not attend school, and only went to work to be further examined by Mr. Slade's specialists. However, somehow the rumor that Gar and Vic had turned into freaks had spread throughout both of their schools, and they got thousands of hate messages on the Internet and in the mail. No one, not even their friends, treated them with kindness and sympathy, even though none but their parents had actually seen their conditions. Three weeks passed, and of course, Gar and Vic eventually discovered their superpowers, and began to go to work full time to further investigate their conditions. School didn't matter anymore, not when they were the most hated students in their respective schools.

"Hey dudes," Gar greeted his teenage coworkers at work one day. Vic, Rich, and Tara were his only friends now, the only ones that understood and sympathized with his condition. "Look what I can do!"

The three of them gaped at him as he transformed into an adorable puppy, his tail wagging eagerly as Tara picked him up.

"Ooooh, how cute!" She cooed, scratching his head. "What a weird side effect!"

She yelped as the puppy transformed into a monkey that leapt out of her hands, and then transformed into a unicorn, a tiger, a sloth, a fly, and finally, back into Garfield.

"That's sorta cool, huh?" Gar said, smiling slightly. "In a freakish way."

"Man, you don't even know," Vic said, raising his arm. "Watch this."

His arm transformed into a giant cannon, and the others gasped.

"This robot body can do all sorts of weird things," Vic said, turning his arm back.

"In fact…" Rich said slowly. "I bet you could even kill someone…or even two someones."

"Excuse me?" Tara said sharply.

"The aliens," Richard said quietly. Richard had watched his green and robotic friends suffer for far too long, and his pain for them had created a deep hatred for the aliens in his heart. Rich was fiercely loyal to his friends to a fault, and for some reason he felt as if he had betrayed their loyalties once before in Mr. Slade's favor, and was determined to repent himself…though, of course, no such thing had happened in Rich's history. "Listen, screw what Mr. Slade wants. Why don't you just kill those stupid things? Maybe your conditions will disappear with them. I'll help you break in."

"You can't kill them," Tara argued. "How are you supposed to find the cure if they're dead?"

"It's been almost a month, Tara, I don't think anything's going to happen," Rich snapped, feeling slightly irritated at her.

"Rich, you're being an idiot," Tara snapped back.

"Hey, hey," Gar said easily, draping a green arm over Tara and Rich's shoulders. "Don't worry about it; no one's killing anyone, okay? It's fine."

Tara was too busy blushing to notice the meaningful look and wink Gar sent to Vic and Rich, and subsequently was clueless when Vic and Gar broke into the cage room to kill the two aliens that had ruined their lives.

* * *

With Rich's help, Vic and Gar managed to get into the cage room to kill the aliens with their new powers. Rich stayed outside, keeping an eye out for Mr. Slade and his personnel.

They entered, Gar making a beeline for the aliens, while Vic turned to the computers.

"I'm going to kill you freaks for what you've done to us," Gar hissed, leaning towards Raven's face. Only the bars separated their faces from touching, and Raven shuddered. "Monsters."

"It don't matter what Slade wants," Vic continued, narrowing his eyes at Starfire. "We can't let freaks like you live on Earth. Who knows what other humans you things will harm?"

"You can't even begin to understand what you did to us," Gar said harshly, his voice rising. "We're freaks like you now! No one from school will even talk to us, all thanks to your freakish magic!" He lowered his voice again and spoke very quietly. "You don't understand what it's like to have no friends…to have it all, and then lose it in an instant. I bet aliens don't have friends. I hate you all."

Raven stared at him silently, her eyes filling with tears. She did understand. Of course she did. Gar looked at her tears questioningly.

"Let's just get this over with," Vic said in a deep voice, pressing the button to release the cages with one hand and aiming his cannon toward Starfire with the other.

"WAIT!" Starfire screamed. "Do not harm us, friends! We are your teammates!"

"Oh, believe me, we are not on the same team," Vic growled, firing his cannon with a dull boom. "We never were."

* * *

Tara hummed as she inspected the rock from Tamaran underneath the microscope, adjusting the objectives expertly. She had no idea of the drama going on in the next room, and was perfectly content with her new job and her new coworkers. The one the formerly brown hair and those beautiful green eyes was really cute and funny, and she needed a prom date. He was only a sophomore, probably desperate to find a way into junior prom and all its wild after-parties, and she was sure that by then his greenness would so things were looking up for Tara.

A small red light suddenly lit up on Slade's pen, the one he kept in his suit pocket at all times. "Oh, dear. Please excuse me, Tara. Keep up the good work." He left the room leisurely, not looking concerned at all.

The teenager smiled to herself. What a nice boss. She was so lucky to get this well paying, fun job. Tara stood up and stretched, taking out her ponytail to redo it. It was starting to get loose. As she attempted to redo the hairband around her flowing blonde hair, the hairband accidentally shot from her fingers, speeding across the floor and stopping just as it slid underneath the crack of a door.

Cursing, Tara quickly went towards it and inched open the door just a little bit to retrieve her hairband. She glanced around the room curiously; it was a little office with just a metal desk and a computer with a large monitor. The desk was completely empty, save for two things: a round yellow object with an antenna, and a heart shaped box that looked strangely familiar. Tara couldn't help herself; the box seemed to be drawing her in, and she walked over to the desk and picked it up. She opened it, discovering a cracked mirror, and the moment her blue eyes saw the crack, she remembered everything.

* * *

The battle was long and difficult. For reasons Gar and Vic couldn't understand, the two aliens seemed to be able to predict most of their moves and knew the details of their powers, as if they had fought against, or alongside, them before. They also seemed reluctant to fight back, and kept talking about strange things that made their memories stir a little in their brains. Things like the Teen Titans, Silkie, Aqualad, the Hive Five…

"You're only trying to tell us Mr. Slade is evil because he captured you," Vic said harshly after Starfire had insisted that Slade was tricking them. He fired shot after shot at Starfire and Raven, who kept dodging them.

"Cyborg, it is the truth!" Starfire cried, ducking another jet of bright light from his cannon. "Please, stop this fighting and let us help you remember!"

"We're not falling for your tricks!" Cyborg said loudly, managing to get close enough to Raven to punch her. She slid across the floor and hit the wall, but immediately got up to her knees, clutching her stomach in pain.

Gar, in the form of a leopard, ran towards her to finish her, but Raven held out a shaking hand and muttered three strange words, trapping him in a black force field and lifting him several feet above the ground.

"Beastboy, please stop," Raven begged, holding him in the force field in front of her. "Why don't you remember me? Why don't you remember us?"

Garfield transformed back into a human and stared at her for a long minute, while Victor and Starfire continued to battle. Purple eyes met green, and Raven's heart fluttered with a tiny bit of hope.

"What's your name…?" Garfield asked slowly, kneeling inside the force field. One hand slid into his pocket discreetly.

"Raven," She whispered. "Do you remember now, Beastboy? I'm Raven."

He continued eye contact with her through the force field, his eyes as familiar as ever, though black through the force field. "Yes. I do. Raven, I'm so sorry for all this…"

"DON'T LISTEN TO HER, GAR!" Victor yelled, still firing away at Starfire. "REMEMBER WHY WE'RE HERE!"

"It's okay," Raven said, relief flooding through her. She gently lowered the force field and released him. "I missed you, Beastboy."

"I missed you too…Raven," He said, his familiar fanged smile lighting up his face. Gar walked towards her and held out his arms, his skin shining green in the bright lighting of the room. "I knew it…"

Raven fell into his waiting arms, burying her head into his familiar shoulder, enjoying the feeling of being in his arms for the first time in months. She could feel his heart beating rapidly. "Knew what, Beastboy?"

"I knew that this would be the way to do it."

"Do what?" Raven inquired, reaching up to stroke his hair. Something was different about him, though he had the same body as usual. She wondered if he had grown, or perhaps it was because he was using a different shampoo. The two of them completely ignored Starfire and Vic's fight in the background.

"Kill you," Garfield whispered, and with a shock of terror, Raven could hear her cloak ripping as his left arm gripped her tightly against him and his right arm moved in a slashing downward motion. Then, before Raven could react, she could feel the cold tip of a knife against her back, and she realized that he had taken a knife out of his pocket when she wasn't looking and had hidden it in his large hands.

"I got this Swiss Army Knife from Mr. Slade himself," Garfield said victoriously, knowing that she knew that the second she made a move to defend herself, he would stab her. "He said it might come in handy in case the aliens ever attacked me again and I didn't have my gun. Of course, we're not supposed to kill you, but I could say it was an accident, right, Raven?"

"Beastboy, please don't do this," She whispered, despair flooding her heart. It couldn't end like this. "You have to remember!"

"Obviously, I can't defeat aliens with the powers that they themselves had forced upon me," He continued. "The only way is to use normal powers. Human powers. The power of a human tool. A simple knife…none of that fancy animal changing or robot stuff."

"Beastboy, no!" Raven protested. "You don't understand! Just listen to me!"

"Never," He promised with a satisfied grin, a grin that once lit up her life, and with that, he slid the cold knife into her body.

Raven gasped in pain just once. With her last breath, she whispered, "I love you, Beastboy."


	8. Bittersweet Victory

**Chapter 8: Bittersweet Victory**

_How the hell did we wind up like this?  
Why weren't we able  
to see the signs that we missed,  
and try to turn the tables?  
Now the story's played out like this ,  
just like a paperback novel.  
Let's rewrite an ending that fits,  
Instead of a Hollywood horror._

"**Someday," by Nickelback**

Garfield stood there, completely still, his eyes wide. Raven's body was slumped over the knife, and there was blood staining her clothes, his hands, the knife, the floor. Her head had fallen gently on his chest, her purple hair swinging back and forth gently.

"Good job, Gar, now we just have to kill the redhead," Vic said happily. "You were probably too busy to notice that I knocked her out with my cannon. Hey dude, what's wrong? Why are you just standing there?"

Beastboy couldn't move. How could he, when he had just murdered the person he loved more than anyone else in the world? For when Raven had confessed her love, the memories of Beastboy's real life had invaded his brain as harshly as Slade's forces had invaded Azarath and Tamaran. He remembered his past, his parents, the Doom Patrol, the Titans…and he remembered Raven. He remembered her rare smile, her quiet voice, the feel of her lips on his, the way her body felt in his arms… Tears dropped from his jade eyes onto her hair.

"Gar?"

"Cyborg…" Beastboy choked. "Victor. It's true. It's all true. I remember now."

"What are you talking about?"

"Everything that they've been telling us is true. We are superheroes; we're part of the Teen Titans. I remember it all…and I just killed R-Raven." Beastboy stammered on her name, and the tears began to flow more rapidly as he started to sob.

"Gar, get a grip on yourself man, don't let them brainwash you! We're halfway done with our mission!"

"Victor," Garfield said, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "Open the side panel on your left arm and press the yellow button. You'll see."

"Whatever, man," Victor said suspiciously, obeying. "I don't see how that's going to convince—oh, shit."

Cyborg stared at the screen on his arm in shock. When he had pressed the yellow button, the screen read: CALL TEEN TITANS? Those three words on his own body had brought the memories flowing back to Cyborg. He glanced at Starfire, lying motionless on the ground, and felt terrible; then he glanced at Raven, the knife still in her breast, and almost passed out.

Beastboy lowered Raven's body to the ground, removing the knife with a sickening squish noise. "The blood stopped coming out…"

His robotic friend rushed over to take her vital signs with his technology, but the results were unpleasant. She had no pulse. The two took a long moment to stare at her unmoving face, Beastboy holding her still warm hand.

"She's not dead," Beastboy whispered, his whites of his eyes tinged with red, his hands trembling.

"Beastboy…" Cyborg began.

"She can't be dead!"

"Beastboy, she's gone," Cyborg said hoarsely.

"She's not dead…" Beastboy repeated in a whisper.

"Be reasonable, B, we have to find a way to get her body out of here and wake up Star, and find Robin and Terra—"

Beastboy fell silent, shoulders slumped, defeated. Then he took a shaking breath and straightened, wiping a tear from his eye. "Yeah. Okay. And then we're going to kill Slade."

Cyborg glanced at his best friend; the coldness in the changeling's voice frightened him. "Beastboy, as much as I hate Slade, we can't just go around killing people. I mean, he's probably going to get executed anyway, but that's not our job to do, BB."

"All we have to do is claim self defense," Beastboy said firmly. "The government's always on the side of the superhero."

"Whatever, BB, we can talk about this later," Cyborg said impatiently. "We need to focus on the situation… It's a miracle no one noticed all the commotion we made…"

"Almost as if they planned it…" Beastboy said angrily. "I bet Slade planned for this to happen."

"You would be correct," Slade's voice boomed and echoed around the room. The two boys jumped up and looked around furiously, attempting to locate the source of the voice. "Although the plan was executed much better than planned."

"SLADE, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Beastboy roared. "SHOW YOURSELF!"

"I had no idea of your relationship with dear Raven," Slade continued, his voice smug. "None at all. How many little girlfriends of yours have died now, Garfield?"

"In case you haven't noticed," Beastboy yelled, "Terra's not dead, Slade! And neither is Raven!"

"And their deaths are all my fault, isn't it?" Slade went on, ignoring Beastboy. "Oh, wait… No, this one's _your_ fault."

With a roar, Beastboy transformed into a T-Rex and attempted to ram himself out of the room. The door didn't even dent.

"Of course, I had hoped that you would kill the Tamaranian as well, but perhaps I shall leave that for Richard," Slade said, his voice echoing sinisterly. "You see, my plan was for the troublesome alien Titans to die as entertainingly as possible… Shimmer, unfortunately, could not alter their memories like she could with human minds. Then I could have used them in my army as well as the human Titans. You four humans, of course, would willingly join the forces of friendly Mr. Slade after you'd all discovered that the rest of society rejected you because of the powers thrust upon you as a result of alien contact. Clever little ruse, isn't it?"

"We would never join your army!" Cyborg shouted, firing his cannon at the door.

"Oh, did you want to get out?" Slade asked airily. "Very well. I will open a door for you."

A door at the opposite side of the room hissed open, and dozens of identical soldiers trooped in, one of them scooping up Starfire's body and disappearing out the same door.

"It didn't have to be like this," Slade said, as the soldiers closed in on Beastboy and Cyborg. "You could've kept your fake memories and went on serving me blissfully. However…it's not too late for you to join my army now, as your true selves. What do you say?"

"NEVER!" They both hollered, backing up against each other as the soldiers closed in on them.

"Well, well, well… I didn't expect so. I suppose Shimmer will just have to redo your memories," Slade sighed. "Such a bother… It takes three whole days, you know…"

The two Titans did not respond. They couldn't: they were too busy fighting for their lives as the soldiers attacked them with guns and other weaponry. A hundred against two, though, is hardly a fair fight, and Cyborg and Beastboy were unconscious in minutes.

* * *

Richard had been apprehended by Mr. Slade himself while standing watch outside the room where he kept the aliens. He had been told to get back to work, and what was he doing there, anyway? However, Rich was certain that Mr. Slade hadn't discovered what was going on in that room, and by the time he did, it would be too late. Rich was now researching the history of Tamaran…but it was hard to work with Tara staring at him like that.

"What?" Rich finally asked her, exasperated. He looked up from the huge book he was reading to stare at her.

They were in the research room: a large, library-like room with long metal tables similar to a cafeteria. The walls were lined with bookshelves, and several desks with high-tech computers were on one side of the room. Perhaps fifty others were in there with them, all researching and studying Tamaran and Azarath. Like Rich and Tara, they were required to wear long white lab coats, and some even donned large, shaded full face helmets. The tables were overflowing with papers, books, and computer print-outs, and the room was hushed, with few conversations.

"Have you ever heard of Batman?" She blurted out, putting aside the rock she was supposedly studying. Nearby, several of their coworkers picked up their heads and looked at her curiously.

"Batman?" Robin repeated. "Sure… Batman and…"

"And…" Terra echoed encouragingly. "What's his sidekick's name?"

"Robin, wasn't it?" He said slowly, giving her a strange look. Several other of his coworkers were perking up now, and he wondered why they looked so worried.

"Yeah…" Tara said slowly, looking at him significantly. "Robin."

"Soooo…" Richard drew out the word awkwardly. "…Yeah. It was Robin…"

"Ever wonder what he's up to nowadays?"

"I…don't know?" Rich said uncertainly.

"Oh…" Tara looked disappointed. She picked up her rock again. "Just wondering. It was bothering me, you know? I couldn't_ remember_ his name…"

"Uh… alright," Rich said, giving her a weird look. His coworkers went back to work, seemingly satisfied that Tara was just wondering.

"Where's Gar and Vic?" She asked casually, picking up a magnifying glass to examine the rock.

"I guess they're working in another room," Richard replied, bending over his book again. Tara sure was strange. "I think that—"

Richard's words were interrupted by the sudden entrance of an alien clad in purple with flaming orange hair.

"YOU WILL NEVER CAPTURE ME!" She shouted, flinging green starbolts at a pale woman with similarly red hair wearing an odd dark blue outfit. Screams filled the room at their entrance, but oddly, nobody fled. Some even leaned back in their seats, smirking, to watch. Rich glanced at Tara, who seemed as paralyzed as he was—whether in fear, shock, or something else, he wasn't sure.

"Hey, alien, did you know that your little friend Raven is already dead?" Shimmer yelled out triumphantly, dodging a starbolt aimed towards her head. "I saw it happen on the security camera! Stabbed!"

"YOU—ARE—A—_LIAR_!" Starfire bellowed, flinging green bolts of energy as forcefully as she could. Shimmer retaliated by flinging icicles at the starbolts, each icicle meeting each starbolt and exploding into sprays of steaming water with deafening cracks.

"And guess who stabbed her?" Shimmer crowed, condensing the air around Starfire into water so that she was swimming in a tall cube of water before Shimmer. Starfire fought her way out of the water, breaking the surface just to shoot another starbolt at Shimmer.

"Your own teammate, Beastboy, stabbed her in the heart!" Shimmer screamed, exultant. "She's dead!"

Starfire did not hesitate to continue firing starbolts at Shimmer, choosing not to react to her unfortunate news. Terra, on the other hand, gasped and dropped the magnifying glass and rock in shock.

Rich smiled to himself; so Garfield and Cyborg had been successful, although Rich couldn't understand why the strange redheaded woman was calling him Beastboy. Wasn't Beastboy a Teen Titan? Robin wondered to himself, recalling the annoying radio announcer's voice playing in Tara's truck. In fact…the alien girl seemed somehow familiar…

"What is this?" Shimmer exclaimed dramatically, firing more razor sharp icicles at Starfire. "No tears, no screaming? Well, then, how about this?"

Shimmer transformed into Robin, clad with his usual mask and cape.

"Did you miss me, princess?" Shimmer said in Robin's voice, grinning wildly. "I'd love you, Starfire, but I'm currently under Slade's control and I've forgotten all about you."

Starfire took advantage of Shimmer's moment of weakness, knowing that while she was transformed as someone else, she could not use her other powers. She flew at her and violently knocked her down, readying a starbolt in her raised right hand and pinning her down with her left.

"I don't understand…" Robin/Shimmer gasped, struggling to get up. "Slade told me you're the emotional one! He said you would cry if I even mentioned the Teen Titans!"

"Just because I do not cry," Starfire said calmly, "does not mean I do not feel sadness." With those words, Starfire flung a starbolt at Shimmer's head and knocked her unconscious.

There was a long, awkward silence as Starfire lowered herself to the ground, panting, while Shimmer's body lay unconscious in the middle of the floor, in between two desks teeming with books. Then, suddenly, with loud yells, the coworkers ripped off their identical white lab coats to reveal a startling array of super villain costumes. Neither Terra nor Richard recognized them; Terra had not been in the Teen Titans long enough to know most of them, and Richard still didn't have his memory back.

Terra could hear Rich cursing under his breath as he stood up in fear.

"What's going on?" Tara shouted, playing dumb.

"Don't worry about it, kid," Johnny Rancid was the only one to bother to reply, his evil grin shining at her menacingly. "Just let the adults do their work." With that, he went to join the others in attacking Starfire, who was putting up a brilliant fight.

Terra watched helplessly. She knew it was futile to help Starfire; they would both get defeated, and they would discover that Terra had her powers and memory back. She had to figure out a way to bring Slade down from the inside, while working for him seemingly obliviously.

A shot rang out, shaking dust from the ceiling and causing a terrible sound to escape from Starfire's mouth. Her pained scream caused everyone to flinch: most by the noise, but two in sympathy. Blood poured her leg, where the bullet had pierced her, and she swiftly plummeted to the ground about ten feet from where Rich and Terra now stood.

General Immortus blew the smoke from his handgun, smiling serenely. "Sometimes the old fashioned way is good enough, yes? None of the fancy laser guns and magical powers can do the damage of a simple bullet."

"Way to miss, old man," Billy Numerous commented snidely.

"Ignorant mortal," General Immortus responded, narrowing his eyes in hatred. "Slade said not to kill any of them."

"Whatever," Billy replied sulkily, striding over to where Starfire lay clutching her leg; she was beginning to lose consciousness from the blood loss and pain. Billy Numerous made one very large mistake: he kicked her. It was a small kick, and it was meant out of spite, not to actually harm her, and she did not even flinch, but nevertheless, Billy Numerous kicked Starfire while she was down. And that was what brought Robin's memories rushing back. The next thing Billy knew, Robin was flying towards him with his leg extended in a kick, and Billy was out cold.

"NO!" Terra shouted, knowing Robin would be defeated. How could he win, with no weapons and against so many villains? "RICH, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"TERRA, YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THE TRUTH!" Robin shouted, as he fought the sudden onslaught of villains.

"RICH, STOP FIGHTING! IT'S NO USE; IT'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO WIN!" Terra yelled back, half sobbing. She wished she could fight alongside him, but it would be a stupid thing to do. Terra questioned her own loyalty; maybe she subconsciously wanted to see him fail…but then she told herself that wasn't true, and besides, she truly knew in her heart that fighting right now would be a dumbass move. "RICH, PLEASE STOP!"

It was too late. Johnny Rancid had managed to get in one solid punch while Robin was distracted with a dozen other villains, and Robin was unconscious. Everybody cheered, while Terra stood there, dismayed.

Just then, Slade entered. "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

The villains stopped celebrating and quickly slipped on their lab coats, while Slade surveyed the scene of destruction.

Terra, the ever practiced liar, rushed over to Mr. Slade, clutching his suit lapels desperately. "Mr. Slade, you have to get me out of here! Everyone just went insane, and there—there was_ blood_, and really weird _costumes_, and I just can't _work_ here anymore!"

"Dear Tara," Slade said soothingly, placing a hand on Terra's hair; she fought back a shudder of disgust, "don't you worry about a thing. Mr. Slade is always here for you…"

She felt a small prick in the back of her neck, and everything started to turn black.

"You're never alone, dear Tara…"

* * *

When Tara awoke, she was in a white bed in a hospital-like room. Mr. Slade was sitting beside her, smiling patiently.

"What happened?" She asked fuzzily, wanting to punch in his face. How dare he knock her out?

"The Tamaranian alien somehow got to you," Mr. Slade said, his voice oozing sympathy. "Unfortunately, you must be quarantined here while we study your condition. You may have had some strange dreams recently. Your coworkers, Garfield, Victor, and Richard, are also affected, but I am afraid that…"

"Afraid that what?" Tara said, her heart sinking. What had he done to them?

"That it is too late for them. They've all been driven insane." Slade paused. "There is something I should tell you…"

"Yeah?"

"The alien gave you some strange powers… You were using them in your sleep." Slade smiled at her. "But perhaps that isn't a bad thing. Have you ever dreamed of being a superhero, Tara?"

"Sometimes," She admitted. Underneath the covers, she was clenching her fists. What a douchebag.

"Well, you now have the ability to move earth and rocks," Slade informed her knowingly, as if she were in first grade. Terra tried to look surprised and impressed. "I also want to tell you of my mission. The real reason that I am studying these aliens."

"Oh?"

"Earth is rapidly reaching its carrying capacity," Slade began, standing up and pacing the room. "Quite unfortunate, but it is true. The planets of Azarath and Tamaran, in a neighboring galaxy to ours, have recently been emptied out due to unfortunate warring between the two planets."

You mean you started a war between them, Terra thought furiously to herself. And you caused the planets to be "emptied out." It's all making sense now.

"I want the citizens of Earth to move to these planets," Slade said, spreading his arms far apart as if introducing a genius notion. "Not all at once, and not all of them, obviously, but enough to curb the population crisis and to start two new civilizations. They would all be under my rule, understandably. There will be a new era of humankind."

_All under your control_, Terra thought, filling in the gaps. _Understandably. Then you would wage war on Earth until all three human-inhabited planets were under your rule, and then probably the rest of the universe. And with Beastboy, Cyborg, and I on your side, along with all the supervillains, you might have a chance of defeating the rest of the Titans and the Justice League._

"Will you join my respectable mission, Tara?" Slade said, turning to her and holding out a hand. "I have already asked your parents, and they approve tremendously."

Tara's "parents" are just supervillains in disguise, Terra realized, wondering how she had ever mistaken Princess and the poorly disguised Master of Games with a blonde wig as parents. Out loud, she said, "I would be honored, Mr. Slade."

They shook hands.

* * *

Beastboy, Cyborg, Starfire, Robin, and Raven were all being kept captive in the same room. They were all in their individual blue-barred cages, except for Raven, whose body laid on a white cart with a sheet pulled over her. They were all currently making escape attempts, but the bars proved to be too powerful; there was even some sort of force field that prevented Beastboy from turning into something small and getting out. Somehow, through all the escape attempts and struggling, no one had spoken yet.

It was Starfire who gave up first. She stopped attempting to starbolt herself out of the cage; the Tamaranian had been in the same type of cage for awhile now, and she knew nothing would change. There was barely enough room for her to sit down cross legged, clutching her bullet wound with tears of pain in her eyes. Someone had bandaged her and removed the bullet while she was unconscious, but it still hurt.

Robin gave up second; he didn't have any of his gadgets, and he knew the whole time that nothing he did would make those bars give way.

"Starfire?" He ventured.

Beastboy and Cyborg stopped struggling as well. They glanced curiously at Starfire, whose eyes were closed.

"I cannot help but wonder…" Starfire said, her voice strained, "if Raven felt a pain similar to the one I feel right now when she…"

There was a silence. No one dared to look at Beastboy's cage, where they could hear distant fumbling. It was only when a hiss came from his direction did they turn to stare at Beastboy. His cage was open.

"How did you do that, man?" Cyborg croaked, his human eye widening.

"What do you think this belt is for?" Beastboy asked emotionlessly, clutching what seemed to be like tiny metal prongs in his hand. He walked over to Starfire's cage and stabbed one of the bars with the metal thing. The bar turned red, hissed, and disappeared; the rest of them blinked out in a flash. "Mento invented it. I just realized I've seen these cages before...they're the invention of the Brain. Almost indestructible."

One by one, Beastboy freed his teammates. After that, he slipped the tiny tool into one of the compartments in his belt. Only then did he slowly walk over to Raven's body. He stared at the white sheet for a long time as the other Titans watched apprehensively. Then, he lifted and folded over the sheet just enough to reveal her face, and put two green fingers under her chin.

"Is she…" Cyborg began, trailing off uncertainly. Starfire perked up hopefully; Robin took a step forward. "Gar, what is it?"

"She's…" Beastboy paused, unsmiling, his tone very serious. "She's alive."

Starfire clapped and cheered, immediately flying over, and Cyborg yelled his usual "Booyah!", but Robin seemed as somber as Beastboy. He walked over slowly, examining her seemingly asleep face at Beastboy's side.

"Please, friends, why are you not joyous for Raven?" Starfire queried. "We shall simply kick the butt of Slade now that we are together again!"

"She had no pulse before," Beastboy said, his grim tone sounding almost angry. "I don't understand… If this is some sort of sick trick…"

"Whether it's a trick or not, I guess we're just going to have to fall for it," Robin said resolutely, putting his hand on Beastboy's shoulder. "Here's what we're going to do. Slade probably noticed all this happening on the security cameras and is sending people to stop us. We're going to blast out of here the way with the most resistance: straight up, and we're taking Raven with us, even if it's a trick. Slade will be sending his forces to that door, I'm guessing, and we're on the first floor, so everyone will be too busy coming here to notice that we're going up. To my understanding, Slade Enterprises has six floors, but maybe the second floor will be empty and we can fly out a window. Understood?"

The Titans nodded. Cyborg made to carry Raven's body, but he yelped when part of the sheet fell off, revealing a bare shoulder, and he realized she was naked. Blushing furiously, he handed her over to Starfire, who wrapped her up tightly in the white sheet. Cyborg then pointed his sonic cannon at the ceiling and rapidly fired several shots, causing dust and rubble to fall everywhere. Starfire flew Raven up, and Beastboy turned into a pterodactyl and lifted both Cyborg and Robin…just to discover pretty much every supervillain they had ever faced waiting for them on the second floor, some still wearing their white lab coats. Slade stood in front of them all, smirking.

"Giving up would save a lot more time and energy," Slade said coolly. "I have gathered every single villain in this building, with the more human like ones posing as your 'coworkers' and 'parents' for days. Just let it go, Titans. You are defeated."

"The Teen Titans never give up," Robin spat, and the fight began. Immediately, Starfire tried to blast through the ceiling to get to the third floor with Raven, but Cinderblock grabbed her ankle and dragged her down. Starfire quickly tossed Raven's body into the air as she was slammed into the ground by Cinderblock; Beastboy turned into a pterodactyl and caught her in his claws. Quickly, he disappeared into the hole in the floor to the first floor, laying her gently on the floor.

Beastboy glanced up through the hole; he could hear the sounds of the Titans fighting, and it sounded like a losing fight. They needed a way to win quickly against many people. He looked at Raven, lying there motionless, and he made his decision. Beastboy closed his eyes and concentrated, focusing on the rage he felt at Raven's death: rage at Slade, rage at all the villains above him, and rage at himself, Raven's murderer. His fangs began to grow, fur erupting from his skin, his muscles emerging into colossal sizes as Beastboy became the Beast. A roar erupted from his mouth, causing all fighting on the second floor to stop as everybody shuddered as the fearful noise passed through them, nearly shattering their bones. The Beast wasted no time launching himself upward and attacking everything. At first, it seemed to be working; the Titans almost were winning, but they were still too outnumbered. It was Robin who finally found a way to win the battle.

After Robin had knocked the Master of Games out with a spinning kick, he noticed something red glinting in the fluorescent lighting of Slade Enterprises as the Master went down. It was the red jewel that the Master of Games wore around his neck, the one that sucked people into it and caused the wearer to have their powers.

Robin smiled to himself. This was going to be fun.

Within minutes, Robin had sucked in nearly all the villains and was using all their powers. Only Slade and Monsieur Mallah were left, and the Beast easily knocked out the giant ape with a brutal snarl. Slade immediately took off running, and Starfire, Cyborg, and Robin followed him at top speed. Beastboy, however, hopped down to the first floor to get Raven—but Adonis was there, in the form of the Beast, holding Raven in his teeth. His animal eyes seemed to look at him smugly, as if to say, I can do this trick too, remember?

What ensued was a furiously fast race through the building, and soon Beastboy was running right alongside his teammates in the form of a leopard.

"They're leading us to the same place," Cyborg realized, panting. "It's…it's a…"

Suddenly, they found that they had run right into a giant room that had formerly been the front hall to the building, and a giant, semi-circular red force field had formed around them.

"…trap," Cyborg finished lamely. Slade and Adonis stood victoriously before them, Adonis still holding Raven in his teeth. Slade was panting slightly.

"You think you can _save _the world? You think you can defeat _ME_?" Slade roared, still catching his breath. "You think you can be the TITANS _FOREVER_? You stupid little things! YOU'RE _WRONG_!" He laughed, the sound booming and rolling around the room. "I have already_ killed_ the entire populations of Azarath and Tamaran! Shimmer will simply brainwash you again, humans _will_ move to Azarath and Tamaran, and I _will_ gather enough power to overtake the Earth!"

"You can't do that if you're dead, Slade!" Robin yelled, slamming his fists against the force field. "You're going to be dead!"

"And which one of you," Slade smirked, "is going to _kill _me? All the _conscious _Titans are in _there_, _I'm _out_ here. Which one of you?_"

"I am," Terra's determined voice sounded from behind Slade. "I'm a Titan too, remember?" He turned around, his eyes widening in shock, just as she hurled a pointed rock at him with so much force that it went through his mask, through his forehead, and out the other side of his head. His blood sprayed everywhere in a sickeningly satisfying way. She then did the same to Adonis, who tried to run, but failed. Raven dropped from his teeth, rolling across the floor and stopping with her back on the floor, and Adonis collapsed a few feet away from her.

"Terra?" The four Titans gasped in unison.

"You remember?" Beastboy asked incredulously.

"Oh, I've remembered for awhile now," Terra said loftily. "But I've always been a good liar…you guys should know that by now."

The four of them stared silently at her, Beastboy's mouth slightly open. They weren't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"But luckily," Terra continued, lifting the ground they were on, tiles and all, to eye level, "I'll always be loyal to you guys." She twisted her hand, causing a hole to form in the middle of the floating pile of dirt; the soil and tiles fell to the ground with a thump. The Titans hopped out of the hole one by one, and Terra lowered the rest of the dirt and the now empty force field back to the ground.

Robin and Cyborg ran immediately to Slade, checking to see if he was indeed dead. He was.

"Thanks, Terra," Raven said, the corners of her mouth twitching as if she was about to smile. "You saved us all."

"I would never let any harm come to my best friends," Terra promised. "But um…now what?"

Starfire's eyes filled with tears. "Thank you, Terra, for saving us from the evil Slade, but he is correct. We have failed. My people are dead, and so are the people of Azarath. I have failed my planet."

The Titans were silent.

"Well…" Terra said slowly. "They're not _all _dead. I did some snooping around… There's about twenty prisoners he was keeping captive for information about the planets, in case he needed it."

As it turned out, there were exactly twenty prisoners, ten from each planet. Starfire knew none of them; they were just people Slade had chosen randomly. Six Azarath women, four Azarath men, three Tamaranian men, seven Tamaranian women.

Robin gave the red jewel with all the villains in it to the police, and Slade Enterprises was shut down, and Slade and Adonis were unceremoniously buried after an autopsy. Phobia was found and defeated; it turned out that her only power was causing fear and, once the Titans learned to ignore her hallucinations, she was easy to overcome. The Teen Titans were hailed yet again as heroes, and they got to return home to Titans Tower. All of the supervillains they had ever fought were safely behind bars, and they had never had more free time with just ordinary, easily defeatable criminals loose.

However, the fact remained that almost all of the people of Azarath and Tamaran were dead. Raven was also still unconscious, stuck in some sort of coma. Tension rose between the five remaining Titans: Starfire was disconcertingly quiet, depressed over the death of her people; Robin couldn't stop blaming himself for being a terrible leader and allowing his team to fall apart; Terra kept wondering if she should've fought against Slade sooner; and Beastboy and Cyborg, of course, blamed themselves for Raven's current condition, though Beastboy felt most of the blame. The days at Titans Tower were silent and bitter, and the only time any of them ventured outside was to fight criminals the police couldn't handle, which they did quickly and emotionlessly. So, though they had won the battle, it felt as if they had lost.

**A/N: please review.**

**Also: I know this probably seems similar to the episodes "The End" or whatever it's called, but I actually planned this out three years ago when I started writing this fic when I was a kid. So, don't worry, I'm not a plagiarist lol. I also researched Monsieur Mallah, Madam Rouge, Titans East, etc. from the comic books before they ever appeared in the TV series. Shimmer is also from the comic books. However, I wrote in Adonis, the Beast, and Billy Numerous recently because I just watched the rest of the episodes that I never saw and I decided to include them. So yeah, just thought I'd let you know where all that came from. And I realize Azarath isn't a planet, but I didn't know that until after I started this fic, so we're going to pretend that it is. : )  
**


	9. Rock Bottom

**Chapter 9: Rock Bottom**

_You know you've hit rock bottom when you're mumbling the words_

_to all her favorite songs  
till the neighbors hear your drunken slurs.  
You know the end is creeping up when all that you can feel_

_were the faint remnants of touching her and wishing they were real._

_You know you've hit rock bottom when you constantly refuse_

_to take down all the photographs from  
the times that she was with you._

_You know the end is nigh  
when you repeatedly deny  
the fact that she is in the earth and you  
never got to say  
goodbye._

"**Rock Bottom," The Spill Canvas**

Raven had been out for nearly two months. Beastboy's sixteenth birthday passed with comment or celebration. Two weeks later, Terra's seventeenth birthday passed with the same amount of impact: none at all. They breathed, they ate, they fought crime, but the Titans might as well have been as unconscious as Raven. They all visited her in the medical room, but never at the same time. No one smiled the whole time. They were too busy regretting, dwelling on the past, grieving.

Beastboy stopped talking a week after he had stabbed Raven and she hadn't woken up. He stopped coming out of his room two weeks after. He couldn't stop reliving the fight, the way the knife felt in his hands, how Raven had reached up to stroke his hair…and how he had subsequently shoved a knife into her body. Her voice still echoed in his ears… "You _have_ to remember!" He remembered now…he remembered too well.

Robin called a team meeting one bleak, cold day. Coincidentally, it was New Year's Day—but no one had celebrated the night before. The other four Titans trudged to the main room, seating themselves lifelessly on the black sofa, watching the unwelcoming gray waves tumble outside the window under the colorless sky. Outside, there was a city, the city that they defended every day. The city lived on enthusiastically, its citizens assured of their safety, but its protectors might as well have been dead.

"Have you noticed," Robin said quietly, "the type of criminals we've been fighting lately?"

The others nodded solemnly. Starfire sighed, the miserable sound causing Robin's heart to ache. He hated to see her like this.

"They're…not exactly…" Robin stopped, trying to find a suitable word.

"Tough?" Cyborg offered.

"Yeah," Robin agreed softly, his voice meek, as if what he was about to say was shameful. "So I think…well…if you all agree…that we're not accomplishing much here. The police can handle them easily... I think that maybe we should—"

"Don't you dare say disband the team, Robin," Cyborg said violently, standing up. He stared down each member of the Titans slowly. Starfire, her once lively green eyes looking cheerlessly back at him, was no longer the happy, innocent alien they once knew. Terra was also a stranger; she even looked different, with more height and her blonde hair always covering her sad blue eyes. Beastboy and Robin had grown as well, but that was the least changed thing about them. Robin's confidence and determination seemed to have temporarily disappeared, and he seemed like a completely different person. Beastboy rarely spoke anymore, and spent most of his time practicing his shifting in his room. He had gotten his time down to .6 seconds per shift—but what did it matter? They had no villains to hunt down. "We need each other. Do you want us to end up like that future Star visited?"

"Cyborg," Robin said angrily, "why don't you let me finish speaking first before you flip out on me? Sit down."

Cyborg clenched his fists and glared resolutely at Robin.

"I said, _sit down, Cyborg_," Robin said through gritted teeth. Cyborg sat reluctantly, narrowing his eyes at his leader. "I was _going_ to say, maybe we should travel a bit, fight crime elsewhere. There's a lot of trouble going on in other places, like Gotham City and Steel City. We don't really have a purpose here. What do you think?"

"No," Beastboy said in a low voice, sounding tired; they all turned to him, unaccustomed to the sound of his once familiar voice. "We have to stay here for Raven."

"Also, this is our home," Starfire said softly. "I do not wish to 'travel.' I have had enough 'traveling' in my past."

"Same," Terra mumbled.

"Okay," Robin said, disconcerted. "I just thought, since there hasn't been much trouble lately…"

His voice trailed off uncertainly, and one by one, his ghost of a team left the room, leaving Robin standing there alone.

* * *

Of course, even when Robin wasn't actively seeking trouble, trouble came to find him a week later. The doorbell, which rang out the Teen Titans theme song, rang in the middle of an unenthusiastic team dinner, and Beastboy, being closest to the elevator, was forced to go answer it.

While riding down to the base of the tower, Beastboy vaguely wondered who it could be. Being on an island with no other inhabitants guaranteed that the Titans had almost zero visitors. Anyone who came to visit was either a) attacking or b) very determined. In fact, they would have to be extremely determined on a January night like this, during a vicious rainstorm that had raindrops pelting the windows like bullets.

Beastboy opened the door cautiously, readying himself for a fight in case they were being attacked. At first, he could see nothing; the night was so dark that he couldn't even see the raindrops falling down right in front of him. Then, lightning flashed, and illuminated a figure looming over Beastboy so ominously that he immediately stumbled backwards and took out his communicator to call Robin.

"Beastboy?" Robin asked in a worried tone. "What is it? Do you need backup?"

"It's for you," Beastboy croaked, eyes wide as the imposing man stepped inside, water dripping everywhere. Those were the only words he had spoken so far that month.

Seconds later, the other Titans reached Beastboy, but they were all as struck by the newcomer as he was, and could only stand there and gape at the drenched man in respect and awe, and a bit of fear. Only Robin seemed unimpressed, and walked right up to the man to look him in the eye. For the first time in nearly half a decade, Batman and Robin were reunited.

"What's wrong?" Robin said fiercely.

"Can't I visit my friend without something being wrong?" Batman growled, his deep voice making Terra cower next to Beastboy. He shifted away uncomfortably.

"Am I your friend, Batman?" Robin's voice sounded resentful. Outside, thunder boomed.

"I should hope we are still friends, Dick."

Robin flinched at the use of his real name, an unpleasant flashback washing over him.

_"We're gonna kick their butts! Right, Dick?"_

_"Hey," Robin said sharply. "Don't call me that. The Teen Titans don't use real names. Never have, never will. We call each other by the names we created for ourselves, okay? Not the names that were forced upon us. Are we clear?"_

_"Thanks for the speech, Robin," Beastboy said darkly, his grin disappearing. He missed his days in the Doom Patrol, where they all called each other by their real names. It seemed so much more personal, so much closer. There were no secrets in the Doom Patrol—then again, there wasn't much laughter, either._

_"Are we **clear**, Beastboy?"_

_"Yeah, whatever dude."_

"Gotham City _needs_ your help, Robin," Batman said simply. "Just one mission, Dick."

"_This_ city needs…" Robin started to protest, but the words died on his lips. This city needed no one's help. The only criminals in the city were the ordinary sort, the common muggers that the police could easily handle. He changed the subject. "Why are you here in person if Gotham City _needs _so much help?"

"I believe I can help your unconscious teammate," Batman said, already striding towards the elevator. "Raven, is it? From Azarath?"

"How did you know about Raven?" He said, tagging along behind him halfheartedly; the others followed. "We tried everything, Batman, and we all appreciate your effort, but I don't think that…"

"You definitely did not try what I'm about to try," Batman said grimly as the elevator shot upwards.

A few seconds later, they were standing in front of Raven, who looked the same as ever, with her eyes peacefully closed and her chest going up and down slowly with her breathing.

"Are you Beastboy?" He said stoically to BB. The changeling nodded.

"Please leave the room," Batman said, almost kindly.

Beastboy furrowed his eyebrows, but didn't protest. He wasn't about to argue with _Batman_. He left the room silently.

"I'm going with him," Terra said, quivering when Batman turned his hard gaze on her. She couldn't stand to get her hopes up for Raven's recovery, and then get them crushed yet again. From the looks on the others' faces, she could tell they were thinking the same and wanted to leave as well.

"Why?"

_His voice is so freaking deep_, Terra thought to herself. Out loud, she lied, "Just to keep him company…sir."

"Isn't he with her?" Batman said coolly, nodding towards Raven. His tone sounded as if he was speaking of politics, not the complicated relationship of two teenagers.

"Yeah, but—" Terra froze, realizing what he was insinuating. "Oh, no, not _that_ kind of company! It's not like that, sir, maybe it was a few months ago, but not anymore, and uh…um…yeah, uh…excuse me…"

She awkwardly edged out of the room. It was true that she didn't like Beastboy that way anymore. Terra didn't like this new version of him, always so depressed and wordless. The boy she had fallen for was a carefree, dorky little thing, and that boy had grown into someone she didn't know anymore. She saw Beastboy walking down the hallway, and didn't attempt to catch up to him. They both knew that whatever Batman was going to try wouldn't work. Raven was in some strange alien comatose, the same kind she went into when Beastboy had become the Beast for the first time, and they didn't know how to deal with that. They had asked the surviving people from Azarath for help, but they had no clue either.

They both froze when they heard yelling coming from the room, and ran back, discovering that the door was locked.

Terra pounded on the door while Beastboy watched silently. "Hey! What's going on?"

"Nothing," Batman's fierce voice said calmly. "Your teammates were being silly."

"We're not going to risk that, Batman!" They could hear Cyborg say loudly. "Even if it might work, we can't take that risk!"

"Do I have to make you all leave the room?" Batman asked coldly. His unfriendly tone made them all shut up. "We'll try it for one hundred eighty seconds. If nothing happens by then, then I'll stop."

"What's going on?" Terra repeated.

No one answered. Terra began to count down from one hundred eighty, wondering what controversial, supposedly dangerous method Batman was using to revive Raven. Before she even reached fifty, however, gasps could be heard from inside the room, and a thud.

"What the hell is going on?" She demanded to no one in particular, glancing at Beastboy to see his reaction. He shrugged.

Starfire opened the door, smiling for the first time in awhile. "Friends! Raven is awake!"

Beastboy almost shoved Starfire and Terra aside in order to get in the room. What he saw almost made him cry in joy. Raven was sitting up straight, gasping for air. Her hair, which had grown slightly longer, covered most of her face.

"Raven!" He exclaimed, grinning wildly.

She tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling at him, looking lost. "Beastboy? You remember me?"

"Of course I remember you," He said gleefully, rushing over to hug her. As he did so, he saw Batman getting up off the floor, where he, for some reason, had been. "Raven, I'm so sorry. I…I don't know what's wrong with me, I don't know why I…"

"It's okay, you weren't yourself," She mumbled, hugging him back. Something was drastically different, but she couldn't tell what yet.

"I'm sorry too, Raven," Robin said, walking over and grinning with relief. "I…I was the one who suggested it. It was my idea."

"And I'm sorry, Raven, I helped him do it," Cyborg chimed in.

"I, too, am sorry for not preventing it," Starfire said.

"Yeah, and I'm sorry for—" Terra began.

"It's _okay_!" Raven said, laughing, in a rare moment of amusement. "It's not anyone's fault! You guys were brainwashed, and Starfire, you couldn't have prevented it. I'm okay now. Let's not talk about this anymore. How long have I been out?"

They all looked at each other uncertainly, not sure how to break the news.

"Almost three months," Robin said gently.

"Eighty two days," Beastboy clarified.

Raven was speechless. Three months? She took a closer look at her friends. Now that she was paying attention, she could see it. They all looked different. They had all slightly grown, even Cyborg, the oldest Titan. Their faces seemed more lined, their eyes sadder as if they had witnessed things they would rather have not seen.

"How did you wake her up?" Terra asked.

"I blocked her oxygen flow," Batman explained, his arms crossed. "Her body put itself in a comatose state in order to heal and protect itself. She probably didn't die when she was stabbed because her powers stopped the blood from coming out very quickly. Maybe her pulse stopped temporarily, but she was alive. When I blocked her oxygen, it forced her body to wake up so that she could find a way to breathe—which is how I ended up halfway across the room. Beastboy, I didn't want you here because I knew you wouldn't agree to it. I read in a tabloid magazine that you two were dating."

"You read tabloids?" Robin started to laugh, and quickly turned his chuckles into coughing when Batman turned to glare at him.

However, Beastboy wasn't even listening. While the others expressed their disbelief that Batman read gossip magazines, he said quietly to Raven, "How are you feeling?"

"Hungry," She responded. "Those feeding tubes didn't really cut it, I guess."

He laughed, helping her out of the bed. "Let's go eat then."

She stood shakily. "You're going to have to fill me in on everything that happened with Slade and how—whoa, you got tall."

However, Raven would soon discover that Beastboy's sudden height wasn't the only thing that had changed about him.

* * *

Batman gave Robin one week to make his decision, and returned to Gotham City in the meantime. Rain continued to pour down on the city, creating a gloomy mood outside the tower. Inside the tower, however, all the Teen Titans were cheerful from Raven's return to consciousness and oblivious to the ominous weather…all the Titans, except one.

After the first day Raven woke up, she had discovered that she was significantly weakened from her time unconscious. She had to spend hours daily in physical therapy in Cyborg's room to strengthen her muscles, which had gone extremely weak without months of use, and build up her stamina again. The other Titans joined in her workouts merrily in an attempt to make her feel better and to spend time with their newly awoken friend. Starfire assisted her in her walking exercises, Robin and Cyborg helped her lift weights, and even Terra jogged along with Raven when she did laps around the tower. Beastboy never participated, but merely watched with a small smile as Raven got healthier.

Cyborg, of course, had something to say about this.

"Hey BB," Cyborg called, as he spotted Raven while she attempted to lift a tiny barbell. "Why do you never join in, huh? Too manly to exercise with girls?"

"Oh yeah," Beastboy said quietly, grinning. His fang glimmered in the fluorescent light as he spoke. "That's exactly why."

"Am I sensing sarcasm, BB?" Cyborg responded, pleased to hear Beastboy joking around again, even if he was being sarcastic. Though Raven was back, he was a lot quieter than usual.

"Yeah," Beastboy said abruptly, his grin disappearing in a flash. "Yeah, you are. Excuse me."

Raven and Cyborg watched Beastboy leave the room quietly, exchanging confused looks.

"Cyborg…" Raven said slowly, dropping the barbell. "Did something happen while I was out? He's been acting so strange…"

"Well, he…" Cyborg paused, uncertain of how to tell her. "After Slade was defeated…obviously everyone was depressed, but Beastboy..."

"Everyone was depressed?" Raven interrupted, her voice alarmed. "Why? We won…didn't we?"

"Yeah…" Cyborg's voice drifted off. "We won…"

"So…" Raven said anxiously. "So why…?"

"Raven," Cyborg said, his voice breaking. "All but ten of your people survived, and all but ten of the Tamarians survived. Plus, with you gone…this team just hasn't been the same."

Raven was silent for a moment, absorbing the information. Then she said resolutely, "I see…but it's been almost three months, right? Everyone seems pretty much okay, but Beastboy…"

"I don't know," Cyborg admitted sadly. "He hasn't talked to any of us… We don't know why he's not…well…recovering. He's been a lot better since you woke up, though."

Raven sighed. "Of all people to be depressed…"

"I know," Cyborg said, smiling bitterly. "Beastboy? It seems impossible."

"I'm going to go check on him," Raven said, leaving the room. "Thanks for your help, Cyborg."

"No problem…"

Raven stepped down the empty hallway, her footsteps echoing. Beastboy's room was just down the hall, and usually that resulted in this hallway being filled with the sound of Cyborg and Beastboy being complete idiots by playing their latest invented game. For the last few months, though, it had been as silent as the rest of the tower. Raven's knock resounded in the hall, fading away slowly.

"Beastboy?" She asked momentarily, after no one had replied. "Are you in there?"

She pushed open the door hesitatingly, and nearly gasped. His room was immaculate. The bunk beds were neatly made, she could see his floor, and there wasn't a comic book or piece of dirty laundry in sight. The window was wide open, the curtains dancing gently in the cold wind. It had stopped raining.

Raven stepped towards the window, touching the side while leaning out. There was nothing unusual. The gray waves crashed against the rocky shore dully, the air was chilly and crisp, and everything was wet. Water dripped down Raven's hand and down her arm, dampening her sleeve. She put a foot on the windowsill and pushed off, flying up towards the roof. Her flying was something her coma had not affected, and she briefly enjoyed the sensation of being strong and powerful again as she floated upwards. Raven could already see Beastboy's silhouette on the roof: he was sitting with his feet dangling off, leaning back on his hands.

"Beastboy," She said quietly when she had reached him; she sat next to him, cringing at the wetness of the cement. "Way to say hi."

He turned to look at her, a small smile on his face. The changeling had seen her as soon as she stuck her head out the window. "Hey, Rae."

"What are you doing out here in this miserable weather?" She asked, gesturing towards the sky. "It's going to rain again any moment now."

"Have you ever wondered," Beastboy said, reaching out to hold her hand and completely ignoring her question, "why we do this?"

"Do what?" She asked, cupping their joined hands with her other hand. Raven was unused to the sensitivity in his voice, the sad confusion.

"You know…" He gestured vaguely in the air with his hand. "This. Live."

She raised her eyebrows.

"What I mean is…" She could hear the raw emotion in his voice; he was completely opening up now, telling her what really went on in his mind. "What's the point of this? Fighting crime. There's always going to be criminals, and when there's not, well…what do we do with ourselves? Like right now, we haven't had a real villain in ages, and our team is…is…falling apart. And even if we did have villains to fight…are we going to do this forever? Until we finally get defeated by one and die? What's the point?"

"Beastboy…" Raven said slowly. "People have been searching for the meaning of life ever since humans developed conscious thought. Our job as the Titans is to protect others, so that their lives can be as peaceful as possible and to...ensure justice."

"But…why us?" Beastboy stared into the bleak sky, watching the clouds drift aimlessly. "I didn't choose to be this way."

"Almost all superheroes didn't choose to have their powers, Beastboy," Raven said. "I guess we just have to accept what destiny gave us. You have to accept your powers."

"You didn't accept your destiny," He pointed out. "You didn't end the world like you were supposed to."

"Well…" Raven sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder in a surprisingly feminine move. "What do you want, Beastboy? Who do you want to be?"

He was silent, and she could feel his breath blowing lightly on her head. "I don't know."

A few quiet minutes later, he continued, "It's not that I don't want my powers. It's just that…it all seems so meaningless, all this fighting."

"Why are you so unhappy, Beastboy?" Raven said calmly, as a breeze rippled through her hair. "This isn't like you."

He turned to look at her, and smiled sorrowfully, his jade eyes moist. Sometimes Beastboy wondered how he could feel so much love for one person. He had never spoken to anyone like this, not even Cyborg. "I missed you."

"I'm here now, Beastboy…" She murmured, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. "I don't like seeing you this way. Beastboy, I think…I think you're depressed."

"This is coming from you?" He chuckled into her hair, holding her close to him. "I'm not depressed. I'm the comic relief guy, remember?"

"Are you ever tired of being that guy, Beastboy?"

The changeling was stumped by the question. "…What?"

"You don't always have to be funny, Beastboy. I know it probably seems like everyone expects you to come up with jokes, lame or not, but you don't have to be happy all the time… I know what it's like to bottle up emotions, and believe me…it's not healthy."

He stroked her purple hair with one hand, the green tone of his skin contrasting sharply against the violet. "I don't think I've cracked a single joke since you've been unconscious, Raven, so…I don't think anybody's expecting jokes from me now. But I guess you're right. We're more alike than we originally thought, huh?"

She laughed softly. "I suppose so, but…"

"Not really," They both finished in unison. The pair smiled at each other.

Beastboy then began to hum "Opposites Attract" by Paula Abdul, and Raven laughed, still a rare sound. She was _almost_ convinced that he was okay. Then again, _almost_ only counted in hand grenades and horseshoes, and the only things they were tossing into that particular frosty winter night were crude emotions.


	10. All Good Things Come to an End

**Chapter 10: All Good Things Come to an End**

_Traveling, I only stop at exits.  
Wondering if I'll stay  
Young and restless,  
Living this way I stress less.  
I want to pull away when the dream dies.  
The pain sets in and I don't cry.  
I only feel gravity and I wonder why…_

_Flames to dust,  
Lovers to friends,  
Why do all good things come to an end?_

"**All Good Things Come to an End" by Nelly Furtado**

Robin drummed his gloved hands on the solid yellow table. He seemed reluctant to speak, as if he was waiting for someone else to speak first. But Robin had called the team meeting, not the others, and his teammates just stared at him, waiting for him to say something. On the other side of the room, Batman stood motionless, facing the window with its view of the bleak gray sea, his arms crossed and his stance defiant. His dark presence made the room seem even colder.

Starfire sat primly next to Robin, her hands clasped delicately on the table. Her tanned orange skin contrasted sharply with his vibrant green gloves, and she looked at him anxiously, frowning when he didn't look back at her; he continued to stare at the giant windows, over Terra's head, as if he didn't notice everyone looking at him.

Next to Starfire was Beastboy, who seemed even tenser than Robin. He was leaning forward on the table expectantly, staring straight at Robin expressionlessly. His muscles were tight, as if he expected a fight at any second. Raven, who was beside him, looked at him worriedly. She touched his arm with uncharacteristic gentleness, and he briefly flashed her a stiff smile before continuing to glare at Robin.

Cyborg cleared his throat pointedly, the deep sound making Terra jump a little in her seat. She laughed nervously at her reaction, the sound awkward and unfitting in the tense atmosphere.

"Right. Uh…" Robin tore his eyes away from the window and looked at his team. "Well, it's been a week…and I've decided to go with Batman to help him out in Gotham City."

The others nodded, except Beastboy, who continued to gaze at him fiercely. This news was no surprise to them. There was no crime in their own city at the moment, since all their usual supervillains had been successfully defeated in their latest battle with Slade. The Titans had literally nothing to do, and Robin would hardly be needed.

"I'll be back as soon as possible," Robin promised. He fidgeted with his gloves, pulling at the fingertips.

"And when will that be?" Starfire asked, her voice ringing clearly throughout the room. Batman turned his head at the sound of her voice to glance at her briefly before returning to his former stoic pose.

"Two weeks max," He replied, not looking at her. "It shouldn't be more than that."

"Alright, that's cool," Cyborg said cheerfully. "It's not like we have any crime to fight here at the moment."

"Who're you fighting over there?" Terra inquired.

"I can't tell you," Robin said seriously. "After it's all over, I'll tell you guys all about it, but for now, it's confidential information…"

Beastboy let out a noise halfway between a derisive snort and a sarcastic laugh.

"Is there a problem, Beastboy?" Robin said irritably. "And why are you staring at me?"

He ignored the latter question. "Yea, Robin, I do have a problem with this. I've done some research, Robin, and there's nothing going on in Gotham City other than the usual burglaries and stuff. I find it hard to believe that a problem so large that the mighty Batman can't handle it alone isn't in the news at all."

Over on the other end of the room, Batman's cape rippled as he shifted his feet.

"That's because it's an undercover operation," Robin snapped, his cheeks turning red. "Don't be naïve, Beastboy."

"I won't," Beastboy said darkly. "If you—" He paused suddenly.

"If I what?" Robin said, sounding impatient. The others had shifted their attention from him to Beastboy; they were confused and slightly concerned about his wary attitude.

"Forget it," He muttered, leaning back. His entire countenance shifted as he perked up and said, "Just don't expect the tower to be in one piece when you get back, 'cause we're gonna party haaaard!"

Robin relaxed and grinned, relieved that Beastboy was sounding like himself again. The others smiled and loosened up as well. "Just try not to completely trash the place, okay?"

"I'll keep the little grass stain in place," Cyborg assured him, reaching over the table to ruffle Beastboy's hair. The changeling swatted at his large robotic hand lightly.

"Good luck with that," Robin said teasingly, standing up. "I'll see you guys in a few days."

"You're leaving right now?" Raven said, surprised.

"Yeah, I've already packed and put my bags in the Batmobile," He said as the others stood up too.

"Good luck!" Terra said brightly, giving him a brief hug.

"See you soon," Cyborg added on, administering a quick man hug.

"Be careful out there," Raven said with a rare smile, hugging him awkwardly.

Beastboy offered Robin a very formal handshake, which Robin took with a puzzled look on his face. In a very serious tone, he looked Robin straight in the eye and said, "Don't forget about us."

Before Robin had a chance to respond to Beastboy's unusual request, Starfire swooped down on him and hugged him tightly.

"Do not forget about _me_," She said admonishingly, squeezing the breath out of him. She let him down only after all the air had been pushed out of his lungs, and then, in a move that shocked everyone, pressed her lips against his.

Terra's jaw dropped, and Cyborg let out an approving whistle. Beastboy protectively covered Raven's eyes with his hand while proceeding to gawk at them. Even Batman seemed to notice and turned around to stare, and the Titans could've sworn that he let out a low chuckle.

She finally released him, and Robin gasped for air, his entire face bright red.

"I-I-I won't forget you, Star," Robin stuttered, the red spreading to his ears. "I could never."

She smiled sadly at him. "Please come back home as soon as it is possible, Robin."

"Yeah, of course," He squeaked, smiling back at her. "I'll be back before you know it."

Batman swooped over, appearing so quickly that it seemed like he had flown. "We should go."

Robin nodded, sobering up around his mentor. "Right. Bye, guys."

"Bye," The others echoed, shrinking slightly as Batman turned to look at them.

"Nice meeting you," Batman growled, looking at each of them in turn. He paused at Beastboy, who gave him a stiff nod. The large superhero considered for a moment, and then went ahead and spoke to him. "Good seeing you again, Mr. Logan. You've grown up." Batman turned around and stalked towards the elevator.

Beastboy paled as the others did a double take and gaped at him.

"You—and him—you've met—when did…what?" Robin stammered.

"Robin," Batman said calmly.

"Coming," Robin responded quickly. He turned back to Beastboy and pointed a finger at him. "We need to talk. I'm calling you later."

"What, that won't give away your secret location?" Beastboy said scathingly as Robin got in the elevator with Batman. Robin pretended not to hear as the doors closed with a hiss.

"When did you—" Cyborg began.

"How did you—" Terra said at the same time.

"Why—" Starfire started.

Beastboy held up a hand, as if to physically stop their questions from forming. He snarled, "I don't want to talk about it, and I don't know why he brought it up. Please don't bring this up again. I'm going to my room and don't bother me." He turned on his heel and walked towards the door to the hallway. When he reached it and the door opened, he looked over his shoulder and forced an apologetic grin. "Sorry to be dramatic, but…really, do _not_ ask me about it." He stepped through and the door slid shut with a hiss.

* * *

It was midnight at Titans Tower, and four of the five Titans inside were still up. They were gathered in Starfire's room, sitting on her circular purple bed. The impromptu rendezvous in the alien's room was initially to discuss Beastboy's unusual antagonism towards Robin, his questionable relationship with Batman, and his recently depressing behavior, but all the gossiping had somehow transformed the gathering into an odd type of sleepover party. Cyborg was attempting to braid Terra's hair with his thick fingers, with Starfire coaching him and Raven watching with amusement. Starfire had seemed to cheer up significantly since her kiss with Robin, and seemed to be back to her old self, and the team was starting to feel as normal as it could feel with the absence of two of its members.

"Dude, how does anyone do this?" Cyborg fumed as Terra's fine hair slipped through his fingers yet again. "I can't even hold her hair without dropping it!"

"Cyborg, that is because your fingers are clumsy," Starfire scolded with a smile. "You must have patience and work delicately."

"Ow, you're gonna pull my hair out!" Terra laughed, squirming. "You suck at this!"

"Hey, I'm no girl Terra, I've never done this before—"

"You sure about that?"

"That's it! No more braiding for you. Gimme that pillow, Star."

"Why do you require a pillow, Cyborg?"

"So I can WHACK HER HEAD AND HER STUPID HAIR OFF!"

Amid all the laughter and pillow fights, Raven watched from the edge of the bed with a small smile. Terra offered her a pillow, but Raven shook her head somberly.

"I think I'll go check on him," Raven said quietly.

The smiles faded from the other Titans' faces.

"Okay," Terra nodded. "Try to find out what's going on with him if you can. I'm really worried… For a moment today when Robin called that meeting, he was acting normal, and I thought everything was gonna be fine…but then…"

"Life is not the same without Beastboy's humor, even though it is not funny," Starfire agreed.

Raven stood up. "I'll try and figure it out."

"Hey Rae," Cyborg joked, "make sure to come back now. Don't get…_distracted_." He wiggled his eyebrows at her and Terra giggled.

Her cheeks turned pink. "Shut up, Cyborg."

On her way out, she heard Starfire ask curiously, "What do you mean by 'distracted'?"

Beastboy answered the door sleepily when Raven knocked. He was wearing black sweatpants and a worn white t-shirt, and spent several seconds blinking into the bright hallway lights until he woke up enough to recognize who was standing there. His eyes widened as he croaked in a voice deep from sleep, "Raven…? Is there an emergency?"

"Beastboy, can I come in?"

"Yeah...is something wrong?" Beastboy stepped aside to let her in, his heart starting to beat faster as she passed him, her cloak brushing against his ankle.

"Not that I know of…yet," Raven said quietly, facing him and gazing directly into his eyes. "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Beastboy stared back at her, reaching for one of her hands with his. For the first time, Raven noticed the extreme warmth and roughness of his bare skin; he didn't have his gloves on.

"Yeah," he responded, touching her face with his other hand. "I love you."

He leaned in for a kiss, and Raven let herself enjoy his touch for a few moments before gently pushing him away.

"I love you, too, Beastboy, but uh…I didn't come to…to…" She struggled to find the right words and blushed.

"Right," Beastboy said instantly, understanding. He took a huge leap back and shoved his hands behind his back, ashamed of himself. "Of course not. That was stupid of me."

"No, I liked it," Raven insisted, which made him blush. "Seriously, though…what's going on with you and Robin?"

"Nothing," Beastboy said innocently, walking towards his bed and sitting down on the bottom bunk. He yawned and patted the seat next to him. Raven sat down, feeling slightly uncomfortable; she had never spent more than five minutes in Beastboy's room before. In fact, none of Titans had; it was usually too messy to even enter, let alone hang out in. Now that it was clean, it made her feel as though she was in a stranger's room; everything was unfamiliar. For the first time, she noticed the small white bedside table by his bed and the worn, red velvet covered book on top of it.

"Why were you so suspicious about his trip?" Raven asked casually, reaching towards the book. She looked at him for permission, and he nodded.

"I just…" Beastboy watched her intently as she opened the cover. "…I don't know. Listen, can we not talk about this?"

"I don't understand why you can't tell me," Raven said softly, gazing down at the first page. It was a photo album, with plastic sheets protecting the fading photos. The first page only had a single picture, stained and slightly wrinkled, of a man and a woman she assumed were Beastboy's parents. "Don't you trust me…Garfield?"

The name still sounded strange on her tongue as she flipped the page. She and the other Titans occasionally called him Garfield, but not often, and usually as a joke. Robin had made it clear that real names were not very welcome on this team. Raven stared down at a picture of a young Beastboy in the Doom Patrol, without his mask on. The green boy in the picture grinned up at her toothily, his fang shining in the flash.

"I trust you," Beastboy said simply, not letting himself become pressured into talking. "Do you trust me?"

"I do," Raven replied, her voice hardly audible as she flipped through the pages of the album. She knew what his next point would be.

"So…trust that I'm not insane, and respect my privacy," He said cheerfully, draping an arm loosely around her. "You taught me that lesson before, remember?"

"Right…" She mumbled, leaning into him slightly. Raven continued to browse through the book; it seemed strange to her that there were so many things about Beastboy's past that she was ignorant of. There were people and places in the photographs she had never seen in her life, and for the first time, she wondered how much she really knew about the green-skinned boy beside her. "Hey…what is this picture from?"

He glanced at the photo of the five original Titans. "Oh, it's from the first time we fought together. It's a newspaper clipping. I thought it was pretty cool that I was in the paper, so I saved it."

"You were in the news all the time for the Doom Patrol," Raven pointed out, her white finger tracing over the outline of old photograph.

"Not without the mask on," He responded, grinning. "This was the first time my handsome green face was displayed to the world—a truly special moment in history."

She chuckled. "You mean a truly torturous moment in history."

Beastboy leaned his face closer to hers and smiled. "What, you don't think I'm handsome?"

"I…" Raven's breath got caught as she found herself staring straight into his clear jade eyes. She could feel her face flushing, and found it extremely difficult to come up with a clever retort with him so close to her. "I think you're kinda handsome…"

"And I think you're kinda the most beautiful girl in the universe," He replied, placing his free hand on her cheek and kissing her softly. Raven gave in and allowed herself to melt into him; the photo album slid to the floor with a small thud as the kissing got more heated. She wondered where he had learned to kiss like this, and prayed it wasn't from Terra.

Somehow, Beastboy managed to maneuver Raven onto the bed so that he was on top of her. He kissed her passionately, his hand leaving her face to wander lower, making her feel weak in a delightful way. However, she suddenly remember Cyborg's little joke about making sure to come back and resisting distractions.

For the second time that night, she pulled away from him. "You're lying."

"What?" Beastboy was genuinely confused, and looked at her with hurt eyes. "No I'm not."

"You're just trying to distract me," Raven said, and though she could see how her accusations hurt him, she continued, "Honestly, Beastboy, I want to know what's going on. Don't try to sweet talk me."

Beastboy shrank away from her like a kicked puppy and sat up, his voice squeaking in indignation. "I can't believe that you'd think that I'd…" He shook his head and stood up. "I mean what I say, Raven. Apparently you don't. What happened to the right to keep secrets?"

"Beastboy…" Raven sat up.

"I would never hurt you, Raven," Beastboy said softly. "You really thought that I…that I was trying to…" As if unexpectedly recalling an unpleasant memory, Beastboy trailed off, his eyes downcast. "I never wanted to hurt you, Raven. Never."

He stood up and faced the wall, his head in his hands.

Raven realized that Beastboy had taken her comment in a terribly wrong way. "Oh no, Beastboy, that's not what I meant—"

"I've always been hurting you," He said quietly, "in one way or another. Bothering you all the time, the whole Beast incident, kissing Terra, the stabbing, and now this… You shouldn't be with me, Raven. Maybe it's best if we didn't—"

"No, Beastboy—" Raven stood up and reached for his shoulder. "Beastboy, nothing would hurt me more than us not being together. That was just a dumb comment about the distracting, I shouldn't have assumed that—"

"You seemed fine to me," Beastboy said, talking over her. "All those years we weren't together. Maybe we should go back to that."

"Beastboy, I'm happier now with you than I have ever been in my entire life," She said desperately. "I love you, Garfield."

"And I love you," He replied, finally turning around. He smiled at her sadly, as if he didn't believe her. "It's getting late…maybe you should go."

Raven surprised them both by flinging herself into Beastboy's arms and kissing him full on, whispering, "Or maybe I should stay?"

Beastboy nearly stumbled backwards with surprise, and let out a nervous laugh. He stroked her hair affectionately and kissed her on the forehead. "I don't think you mean that, Rae. I'll see you tomorrow."

He released her, and she left the room slowly. "Good night, Gar."

"Night."

When Raven returned to Starfire's room, they were all still awake and playing with Silkie.

"Did you get anything outta him?" Cyborg asked excitedly.

"No," Raven said solemnly. "But I think I managed to screw up completely and make him more depressed than ever."

"I doubt that's even possible with the way he's been acting lately," Terra replied, pushing Silkie away from her. "Did you find out if Robin called him?"

"I forgot to ask," Raven said, lingering by the doorway.

"Too _distracted_?" Cyborg asked, grinning.

"No," Raven snapped. "I'm going to bed. Bye."

The others looked at each other and shrugged as Raven left the room. It seemed like they would never understand her.

* * *

The Titans had no school, no work, no authority, and plenty of fame and fortune—basically, the Titans could have played and partied all they liked. But though they tried to take advantage of the situation, things just weren't the same. Cyborg set up their favorite activities—video game tournaments, volleyball on the roof, shopping excursions, even celebrity appearances, and the teens had fun—but something always seemed off; there was always a serious undertone, a sense of feeling that something was wrong. Between one missing member and Beastboy's occasional gloomy fits, the team felt uncomfortable and divided. One sunny day, Cyborg managed to usher the team to the park, where they settled on an empty patch of grass for a picnic. The park was nearly empty; it was the middle of a Monday afternoon.

"So, Star," Cyborg said cheerfully, rubbing his belly, "what kind of weird food do you have for us today?"

Starfire looked up at him, and responded distantly, "I am sorry, but I did not bring any food, Cyborg. I…was not in the mood to cook Tamaranian food, now that..." She trailed off sadly, remembering the death of her people.

"…Oh," Cyborg said, looking down at his feet in embarrassment. "Right. Sorry to bring it up."

During the ensuing silence, Terra awkwardly cleared her throat and glanced towards the food vendors.

"Uh…well, that's okay," Raven said, attempting to lighten the mood. "We'll just buy from the people over there. You can try some Earth food…that'll be fun, right?"

"I have already tried the hot dogs and sandwiches," Starfire said softly. "Robin used to purchase them for me when we visited this park…"

"Is it just me or did we just eat breakfast?" Cyborg said loudly. "I'm not really hungry now that I think about it."

Raven and Terra nodded their heads emphatically in agreement.

"Hey BB, why don't we play fetch?" Cyborg suggested enthusiastically. "Remember how much fun we had last time?"

"Sure," Beastboy said lightly, and the others smiled; there were some days when Beastboy acted completely like himself, and others where he just moped around the house, but today seemed like a good day. "What animal?"

"A dog?" Terra said dubiously. "What else would you be?"

"Bad question," Raven remarked, as Beastboy morphed into a giant grizzly bear and roared in her face. Terra squeaked in terror and stumbled backwards.

"BB can play fetch as pretty much anything." Cyborg tossed over a stick at Beastboy, who caught it in his teeth and instantly mashed it to pieces with one bite.

"Woops," Beastboy said playfully, momentarily transforming back into a human and spitting out pieces of wood. "Agh…there's splinters in my teeth."

"Go long, BB!" Cyborg crowed, picking up another stick and hurling it through the sky. "And don't break it this time!"

Beastboy instantly transformed into a cheetah and sprinted after it. At the same time, Starfire shot after him, her laugh ringing through the park.

"I've got my money on BB," Cyborg said, watching with a grin as the two zoomed towards the stick. The stick soared over a hundred feet away, and the Titans could distantly hear Beastboy growling as he ran.

"No way, Starfire's definitely got this," Terra said, and within seconds, Starfire returned with the stick triumphantly in her hands.

"I win!" Star said happily. "I believe it is time for the gloating."

They all turned towards Beastboy, who had turned into a golden (well, green) retriever and was whining pathetically at his loss.

"Do not be a loser who is sore," Starfire sang, twirling the stick in her hands. "Let us race again for the stick."

Beastboy resumed human form and stuck his tongue out at her. He shouted from afar, "You cheated! No starbolts allowed!"

"I did no such thing," Starfire said prudishly, sticking her nose up.

"Then why is the stick singed?" Raven pointed out, pointing towards the burnt end of the piece of wood.

As the others laughed, Beastboy's communicator rang. He quickly picked it up, but the others had heard it already.

"Is that Robin?" Starfire asked immediately.

Beastboy ignored her and walked even farther away. The others followed him quickly, straining their ears.

"Is it a bad time?" Robin's voice asked from the communicator.

"Yeah," Beastboy said gruffly. "Good job."

"Can you get away?"

"No," Cyborg answered for him, snatching the communicator from Beastboy. "What gives Robin? Why are you calling BB and not the rest of us?"

"Cy, please give Beastboy back his communicator."

"Dude, I don't like this secrecy," Cyborg said, but he handed Beastboy back the communicator anyway.

"Can you tell the others to give us some privacy?"

Beastboy waved his hand at the others in a shooing motion. "Sorry. You heard your fearless, all-knowing leader. Back off."

"I don't appreciate your attitude, Beastboy."

"I don't appreciate your face, Robin."

"This sounds like it's going to be a fun conversation," Raven said sarcastically as she walked away with the others.

Robin cut straight to the chase as soon as the others were out of earshot. "How do you know Batman?"

"I met him years ago," Beastboy replied, his eyes wandering over the screen of the communicator to look at his retreating teammates. He could tell Cyborg was going to eavesdrop using his technology. "Right before I joined the Titans."

"How?"

"I was doing the same thing you're doing now," Beastboy replied, focusing on Robin. "You're a horrible liar, dude."

"You got offered this opportunity before you were in the Titans? I remember when you got the offer from Mento, but that was a year into the Teen Titans…" Robin said dubiously, his masked eyes looking at Beastboy suspiciously.

"Yeah," Beastboy said quietly, his tone angry. "But I didn't take it because I probably wouldn't have made it at that point, and the years of work it would've involved… Besides, the offer isn't going anywhere. If you're really going to do this, Robin, at least have the decency to tell the others."

"Don't tell me what to do, Beastboy," Robin snapped. "This is my decision."

"And you're the team leader," Beastboy retorted. "Your decisions affect all of us. You're seventeen, Robin. No matter how tough you act, you're still a kid. Wouldn't you rather live out the rest of your childhood here, with your friends, than over there, where it's basically all work and zero play? You have the rest of your life for that."

"I'm a superhero. I'm not supposed to play," Robin said scathingly. "You don't understand that, Beastboy, because you're too immature—"

"You're a teenager in a spandex uniform!" Beastboy said heatedly. "You think I'm immature?"

"Is that even a legitimate _question_?"

Beastboy nearly crushed the communicator in his green hand. "I've been in this business as long as you have, Robin. I may joke around, but I'm not an idiot, and if you think that—"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore, Beastboy. I called you to find out how you knew Batman, and I've accomplished that. Goodbye."

Beastboy angrily closed the communicator, and Cyborg instantly appeared next to him. The others followed close by.

"BB, let's just cut to the chase," Cyborg said briskly. "I'm not even gonna pretend that we didn't just completely eavesdrop on that conversation. So what's goin' on with Robin?"

"What is this opportunity he speaks of? Is he going to leave us?" Starfire inquired, her voice trembling.

"It's his business," Beastboy said dully, looking at the sky. "He'll tell you when he chooses to tell you."

"Do you know what's going on?" Terra asked.

"I know exactly where he is," Beastboy said, his voice rising, "and what he's doing. He thinks we're all idiots. He always has."

"What are you talking about?" Raven said calmly, reaching out to touch his hand.

He grasped her hand. "He thought he could keep us all in the dark, you know, since we don't have his _experience_ in the superhero business. I know I've been laconic about my past, but I guess he forgot that I've been in the Doom Patrol for a long time…"

"You are not making sense, Beastboy," Starfire said, crossing her arms. "And I do not appreciate the way you are speaking about our friend and teammate."

"Teammate?" Beastboy scoffed. "Star, a real teammate cares about his team, especially if he's the leader. And a real teammate would tell the team if he wanted to quit, instead of lying and sneaking around."

"Robin would never quit the team, "Starfire said, starting to get irritated. "You should have more faith in Robin."

"He quit the night Batman showed up at our door," Beastboy said darkly.

"He will be back in less than one week from now," Starfire said firmly. "He promised us."

"Sure, Starfire," Beastboy said with an expressionless face. "Whatever you wanna believe. Hey, let's forget about all this for now, okay? I don't wanna argue. Let's play some fetch!"

Starfire reluctantly dropped the subject, and the others gradually let themselves put the issue of Robin's activities out of their minds as they enjoyed themselves in the sun and fresh air of the park, though the mystery still lurked unhappily in the backs of their minds.

* * *

However, when Robin's two weeks were up, he had not returned. Starfire had insisted on baking him a welcome home cake, and, with Terra's assistance, had spent hours slaving in the kitchen to produce a lopsided three layer angel food cake. Terra had collapsed, exhausted, on the seats next to the kitchen table, and Starfire sat across from her, checking the time on her communicator and glancing at the door. Cyborg was playing video games against some unknown opponent while Raven read a book, and Beastboy had curled up as a Labrador next to her, fast asleep.

"It is almost the mid of the night," Starfire said softly, running her finger along the edge of the plate that held the colorful cake. "Perhaps he is in trouble."

"You could call him," Terra suggested, sitting up with a groan. Teaching Starfire how to bake using human ingredients had drained all the energy out of her.

"Yes, I think I will," Starfire agreed, and she flipped open her communicator. Cyborg paused his game and twisted around on the black couch to watch as she called their leader. Raven looked up from her book and turned around as well.

"No answer," She sighed, closing it. "Do you think he requires help?"

"Even if he did, we wouldn't be able to find him," Cyborg pointed out, putting down his video game controller to walk towards the girls. "I already tried. He disabled the tracking device on his communicator."

Raven put the book down. "He's probably just running really late. I wouldn't worry, Starfire."

"But I cannot help myself," Starfire said sadly, looking down at the cake woefully. A tear slid down her cheek. "He is all that I think about."

"Don't cry, Star," Terra begged, reaching towards her. "He'll be back soon."

Beastboy cracked open his eyes and barked as if to laugh sarcastically at Terra's comment, and Raven swatted his head. Now was not the time for Beastboy to say "I told you so." As if to make up for the bark, Beastboy leaped off the couch and trotted towards Starfire, where he leaned his head on her hand and licked it. Raven followed close behind him.

"BB, I think you should tell us the truth now," Cyborg said, bending down to pet his friend. "It doesn't look like he's gonna tell us himself."

Beastboy let out another small bark, and then transformed back into himself. "If you really want to hear it."

"Believe me, BB, the curiosity's been killing me," Terra sighed, leaning her head on her hand. "The last week's been torturous. Please tell us."

"Well, let's see if you can figure it out… First of all, Batman personally came to pick Robin up," Beastboy explained, looking serious. "There's no reason for that. He says he came to help Raven, but he could've just told us his idea by communicator and anyone could've tried it out on her. Therefore, it must've been something personal, something that really _mattered_ to Batman—and only two things matter to Batman: stopping evil, and teaching his beloved Robin how to stop evil. Batman wouldn't come take Robin away from his own crime-fighting team unless he needed Robin's help to stop a bigger crime—and why would Batman ever need Robin's help when he's got like a million other allies on his side of the country? So he must've taken Robin for a personal reason. And let me tell you something…Robin is not in Gotham City. He's in Washington DC."

"But why would he be there?" Cyborg asked. "There's a zero percent crime rate."

"And why is that?" Beastboy said, looking down at the cake. It spelled WELCOME HOME, ROBIN in messy red icing.

"Because the Hall of Justice is there," Cyborg replied, starting to see what Beastboy was getting at. "Where the Justice League meets."

"Exactly. Clearly, Robin is not working on tracking down any criminal. You'd have to be an idiot to try and commit a crime in the same city where a league of the most powerful superheroes is based. Batman is practically the freaking leader of the Justice League, and Robin is the closest thing he has to a son…if Robin got chosen to be potentially incorporated into the League, you can bet Batman would want to witness Robin's tryout himself, and maybe even give him a few pointers on the way. They make new potential members train like crazy and do insane stuff before they let them in the League."

"So Robin got chosen to try out for the Justice League," Cyborg said slowly, "and he didn't tell us because if he made it…"

"…he would have to leave _our_ team," Beastboy finished. "At least for awhile, anyway."

"Wait," Raven said, looking confused. "What exactly does the Justice League entail?"

"It's a team of the universe's most powerful superheroes," Beastboy expounded. "There's a group of main members who live in the Hall of Justice…like Wonderwoman, the Flash, Green Arrow…but the rest of them live on their home turfs and just come whenever they're needed. Like Batman lives in Gotham City, but he's still part of the Justice League. They handle the really big stuff, like wars between solar systems and huge things like that, so it's basically a league of the most elite superheroes. They also handle problems between superheroes, and they have a huge database of all the superpowered people ever to exist."

"So it's sort of like the superhero government?" Terra said.

"Yeah, I guess… So Robin got an offer to join them. The only way to join is if you get an offer to try out, and the process of trying out could take years… They do hundreds of tests on you, and if you make it, you have to live a few months in the Hall of Justice to learn the ropes of everything… Robin joined this team to prove himself as a real hero, not just a sidekick, and with this opportunity…I guess he achieved that goal."

"How do you know all of this?" Starfire inquired quietly, mistrust in her voice.

"Because…I got the same request from them," Beastboy said, crossing his arms. "A long time ago. Once right after I quit the Doom Patrol, and once while the Teen Titans were just starting out."

"You turned down the Justice League for us?" Terra said.

"Seriously, Terra, do I look like the kinda dude who wants to spend years training to hang out with a bunch of grown men in costumes?"

"Perhaps Robin could not turn down this amazing opportunity," Starfire said defensively. "You know how much the fighting of crime means to him."

"Sure," Beastboy said icily. "But when I got invited to join, I didn't tell anyone but him. And you know what he said? He said this team was more important, that the invitation would still stand when I was twenty and too old to be a Teen Titan. And he told me to try out then. And I agreed with him. But when he's the one getting the 'amazing opportunity,' he packs up and leaves without even having the courtesy to tell us."

There was a stunned silence.

"Whatever," Beastboy said bitterly. "Whatever. I hope he's happy. I didn't tell you guys because I was waiting for him to tell you himself…but I guess he's never going to. This team means nothing to him."

"I...I cannot believe he would do that to us," Starfire said, tears welling up in her enormous green eyes once again.

"What are we supposed to do without Robin?" Cyborg said.

"Listen," Terra said bracingly. "It's not the end of the world. So we're short a member. So what? There are plenty of undiscovered great superheroes out there that we can replace him with, and even if we don't replace him, well, the Teen Titans always did well with five members. We'll just vote for a new leader. It'll be hard at first, but…we don't need him."

"This team may not need him," Starfire said emotionally, "but I do."

"And Terra," Beastboy said, throwing off his gloves angrily, "I agree with you, but there's just one problem."

"And what is that?" She picked up his gray gloves from the floor and looked at him curiously.

"The Teen Titans never worked well as a four person team."

"…What?" She said softly. "You…you can't. You're not. You can't quit!"

"I never wanted _any_ of this crap," He said, looking around at the team wildly. "None of it. I'm not a hero. That's the real reason I didn't join the Justice League. It's not 'cause Robin convinced me not to. I just didn't want to make that commitment...that lifelong commitment to crime-fighting."

"Beastboy, what are you talking about? You're one of the most famous superheroes in the world," Terra protested.

"That doesn't matter," Beastboy said, looking down at his bare hands. "All this stuff…fighting crime. Always in a uniform. A superhero. Sometimes I just want to wear normal clothes…go by my real name…not have my ass kicked on a daily basis… And there are so many risks involved in this lifestyle that I just…don't think I can deal with…" He glanced at Raven, recalling the look on her face when he had stabbed her.

"Beastboy," Starfire said firmly, her voice ringing clearly in the silent room, "or perhaps you prefer the name Garfield. I believe that if you did not desire to be a superhero, you would not have remained one for so long. You would not have sought out a new team after leaving the Doom Patrol. You would not have stayed in the Doom Patrol as long as you did, either. I believe that you—"

"That's what you _believe_, Starfire!" Beastboy's voice began to rise. "I _had_ to join the Doom Patrol—I had no choice! It was either that or jail. I wasn't going to school back then, but I wasn't stupid. Which would you choose—fame and glory, or _prison_?"

"What are you talking about?" Raven said sharply. "Jail for what?"

"And it would be juvie anyway," Cyborg added, his eyebrows slanting in puzzlement. "You were just a kid, right?"

"Yeah, I was just a kid, but I worked for two of the biggest thieves and drug dealers in the black market for years," Beastboy's voice cracked. "They kidnapped me from Africa after my parents died and made me work for them. You can't even imagine how much stuff I stole, how many people I hurt in order to get their valuables—"

"You were just a kid—" Cyborg tried to say soothingly.

"That's no excuse!" Beastboy turned away from his teammates to face the window. The gray clouds loomed ominously over the familiar silhouette of buildings far away. "Mas and Menos are children. So are those kid heroes Raven babysat for. My parents taught me better than to steal while they were still alive. What kind of kid was I, anyway?"

"But Beastboy, you still wanted to fight crime after leaving the Doom Patrol—" Starfire began.

"No, Starfire!" Beastboy's hands began to shake. "I don't know that I did! Look at me!" He turned around, his green eyes wavering. "I'm freaking _green_! What else could I possibly _be_ besides a superhero? What else am I good for? Sometimes I feel like even if I did have my powers, but I wasn't green, I probably wouldn't choose be a hero at all!"

"Dude, don't say that! You know that's not true! You—"

"You guys are all so morally…morally _righteous_," Beastboy continued. "You choose to use your powers for good, to fight injustice and save people. Me? I don't know why I'm here. I'm not even moral enough to keep myself from killing an innocent girl..." Beastboy turned around, covering his face.

"You idiot, BB, don't you remember I wanted to kill Raven and Starfire too?" Cyborg said harshly. "I'm half metal, BB, how do you know I'm not just here because I don't fit in anywhere else?"

"You have that ring thing—"

"You know I could make one for you anytime you asked, BB," Cyborg retorted. "You could have quit this team at any moment, but you didn't, because you _are_ a good person!"

"Good people don't _murder_—"

"Beastboy, I'm the daughter of the devil," Raven said sternly. "It doesn't get more evil than that. If I can be a superhero, then so can you."

Beastboy was silent.

"This Slade thing really affected you, huh?" Cyborg said gently. "Even when he's dead, he haunts us… Don't let him affect your mind. You don't need to question your own morals. You're a good guy. Right now you're just feeling guilty for something that wasn't your fault."

"Beastboy, I know what you mean," Terra said softly. "I never really used my powers to fight crime until I met you guys. It was mainly just for fun and when I needed it… I never really considered being, like…a _superhero_. But once I tried it…I never knew helping out others could be so rewarding, you know? That feeling you get when you return a kidnapped child to his mother…when you give people back their stolen valuables…you just know it's the right thing to do. And I know you feel that way too, Beastboy. We were given these powers, accidentally or not, and we can choose what we want to use them for…but I don't think you should ignore them and not use them at all, not when you could be helping people. Sometimes it's hard to live like this, but…you know it's worth it."

There was a long silence before Beastboy finally heaved a sigh and finally admitted, "Yeah. Maybe you're right, Terra…but there's no crime in this city. Let's just face it...our golden days are over. Either we move…or we disband."

"We will not become separated again," Starfire said firmly. "We are more than simply a team. We are family."

"Even families get separated, Star," Beastboy said resolutely. "Kids move out, people get divorced… We can't stay this way forever. We formed a team to stop the crime in this city. We've done that. Our mission is done. I think it's time to move on to something new, someplace new."

"Without Robin?" Raven said quietly.

"With or without him," Beastboy said tightly. "Things have to change around here."

"Either way, we have to contact Robin somehow," Cyborg said. "Let's see if he tells us the truth."

As if by magic, Robin's face flashed on the giant screen. Starfire let out a gleeful squeak and flew towards the black couches, and the others followed at a slower pace.

"Robin!" Starfire cried, delighted. "How nice it is to see you! Except…why are you not back here with us?"

"I have some bad news, Starfire," He said, looking around curiously at the other members' stony expressions. "What have you guys been up to? Why do you look so upset? I'm sorry for calling so late, but I was caught up in some other things…"

"Don't worry about it, Robin, what's the bad news?" Cyborg asked, his tone vicious. He knew what was coming.

"I'm going to have to stay here a few more days—" Robin cut himself off, waiting for the exclamations of surprise and dismay. When none came, he continued slowly, "Just like two or three more days, five max. You're not having any problems over there, are you?"

"No, but—" Terra began.

"Then there's nothing to worry about," Robin said, grinning. He seemed strangely happy. "You guys seem to be doing well."

"We would be filled with even more of the cheer if you were to return rapidly, Robin," Starfire said sadly.

Robin was thrown off by Starfire's comment. "Well, I—uh—I'd…like to return, but…the circumstances…" He shrugged, seeming troubled. His next words seemed to be a struggle to get out. "Hopefully…I…hopefully this will be over soon."

"So when are you planning to tell us what you're doing over there?" Raven asked calculatingly.

"It depends on…how things work out," Robin replied, starting to feel worried. "Why do you ask?"

"I thought you said there'd be no more secrets," Raven responded, crossing her arms.

"And no more _lies_," Terra added, putting her hands on her hips and narrowing her eyes.

"I…I'm not lying," Robin said, his voice rising defensively. "At this point, I just can't tell you the details of the situation. It would jeopardize the mission."

"I'm so sure," Beastboy said sarcastically. "That's what matters, right? The mission. The goal."

"Well…yes," Robin admitted, sounding unconfident. "Basically, yeah."

"I thought we mattered to you, Robin," Starfire said quietly, her previous happiness at seeing Robin fading. "The team…your friends."

"Of course!" Robin said insistently. "But stopping evil matters too. What's up with you guys, anyway? I'll be back soon, really, and it's not like you guys need me, so—"

"Listen, Robin, don't try to bullshit your way out of this," Beastboy said fiercely. "The mission of _this_ team is to stop crime in this city. We've done that. There's no more crime here that the police can't handle themselves, and the crime rate is practically 0%. So our mission is done."

"What are you saying, Beastboy?" Robin said nervously. "Just because nothing major has popped up recently doesn't guarantee that the city is completely—"

"I'm saying that I quit," Beastboy said determinedly. "According to you, the mission is what matters, and our mission is accomplished. So this team is no longer needed."

"Beastboy, you're being irrational—"

"No, he isn't," Raven spoke up. "I quit too. It's time for a change."

"Please, friends—" Starfire pleaded. "Just because Robin will not be here does not mean we all must leave—"

"I'll be back in a few days!" Robin said adamantly, though his voice was weak.

"You're never gonna come back!" Cyborg shouted, losing his cool. "You're joining the Justice League, and we all know it!"

"I…" Robin was at a loss for words, shocked that his team had discovered his secret. "Cyborg…"

Cyborg shook his head in disgust. "Dude, I can't believe you would lie to us like that. You know what? BB, Rae, don't quit, I think we should just move and pick a new leader, since _this_ one doesn't care about our team."

"Cyborg! I care about the team—" Robin protested.

"You don't give a—"

"Please, friends!" Starfire's voice shook with passion and she soared upwards to float beside Robin's image on the giant screen. "Do you not see? It is happening again."

"What's happening, Star?" Terra asked gently.

"We are becoming separated again," She said, her voice choked up. "Will we never learn? When we are apart, we are nothing. We are easily defeated. That is how Slade nearly killed us all. We _must_ stay together, Robin, if you desire the Teen Titans to remain as a team."

"Starfire, we're not falling apart!" Robin said earnestly, attempting to look at her from his position on the screen. "I'm just going to be away for…for a little awhile. I'll be back. I've gone away before, Starfire, don't you remember—"

"But not for _months_!" Starfire cried, lifting up her face. Tears were now openly streaming down her cheeks. "Or even years. So many things can change in a year, a month, even a week... I do not want the Titans to fall apart again!"

"Starfire, we're not going to fall apart—" Robin tried to say.

"Robin, you do not understand!" Starfire said tearfully. "The process always begins with one Titan leaving—and then another must go—and perhaps another member shall want to follow the one who left—and soon the whole team has separated."

"But Starfire—"

"I fear that it is impossible," Starfire said in a depressed tone, "to remain a Titan _forever_."

There was a silence as all the Titans mused over her statement. The Titans, and superheroes in general, tended not to think of the future, of growing old and retiring from the hero business. It was too bleak, too uncertain. A superhero could die any given day in any battle, so to fantasize about a future, of marrying and having a family, was generally not done, especially with heroes who had powers too freakish to allow them to one day fit into normal society or have kids. Starfire's point about remaining a Titan _forever_…for the rest of their lives…seemed pretty valid. How could anyone remain part of a good thing forever? It did seem impossible, and maybe now was the time the Titans should end and go their separate ways.

"Starfire…" Robin said, his voice tender. He then did something that shocked everyone. Slowly, his hand reached up, fingered the edge of his mask, and lifted it off, revealing clear robin egg blue eyes, projected fifty times their normal size on the giant television screen. "You may be right. Maybe we can't be Teen Titans forever…especially when we're over nineteen years old. But we'll still always be Titans at heart, and I know that, even if we're apart, we'll always be _friends_ forever, even without the uniforms and the Tower and the crime-fighting together."

"Robin…" Starfire said tearfully. "I wish the Teen Titans would never have to end."

"All good things come to an end, Starfire," Robin said softly. "And…call me Richard."

There was a profound silence that was abruptly interrupted by Beastboy perking up and asking hopefully, "Dick?"

"No." Robin bit back his smile. "Richard."

"So does this mean…that we're disbanding?" Terra asked, confused. "The whole Justice League thing…that's a long time without a leader."

"No, not now…" Robin said thoughtfully. "In fact…" He stood up straighter, suddenly resolute. "Not for awhile. I'm coming back home."

"But what about the League of Justice?" Starfire said, sounding like she didn't believe him at all. "We cannot take away your opportunity from you...and there is no crime to fight in this city."

"No, Starfire, this is my own decision," Robin said determinedly. "I have an entire lifetime to join the Justice League. I can always join later…maybe you guys will be joining with me by then. I'm young…we're all young, not even eighteen yet. For now, I'm coming home, back to the Teen Titans…back to my best friends."

"BOOYAH!" Cyborg crowed, his voice booming over the others' cheers.

Starfire let out a squeak of joy and twirled up into the air. "That is joyous news, Robin!"

"I'm glad you've seen the light, my friend," Beastboy grinned. "But uh…we still don't have any crime to fight here."

"Hey, you like beaches, don't you, Garfield?" Robin said brightly. "If you guys are willing to travel a little, I heard that there's a new supervillain in Hawaii that we could go take care of…"

"Hawaii!" Beastboy shouted. "When can we start packing?"

"Just remember that this isn't a vacation, Gar, we still have to work hard—"

"WOOOOOOO! PARTY TIME! HAWAIIN LADIES IN BIKINIS!"

"Excuse me?" Raven asked sharply.

"Uhh…by that, I meant...fully clad, respectable Hawaiian women that pale in comparison to your beauty?"

"That's better."

"Dude, you are so whipped."

"What does the phrase 'whipped' mean, Terra?"

"Just ask Robin, he should know the feeling pretty well."

"Watch it, Terra, I may not be over there right now but when I do get back…"

"What are you gonna do Birdbrain, peck at me?"

Snickers filled the room, and the Titans momentarily forgot all their troubles as they talked and laughed with each other. They still had to find some major villains to occupy their time, which meant possibly moving to an all new location and building a completely new tower. Their lives had been changed forever since their battle with Slade, and more than one Titan had been left emotionally scarred. They knew new conflicts would arise, and that one day, they would be too old to be the Teen Titans anymore. But whatever happened, they knew they would find a way to stay together—maybe not as a team, but as friends…and as family.


End file.
